Windows 10 Support Has Ended — What It Means and Your Options

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft officially ended free support for Windows 10. The operating system still runs, but Microsoft has stopped shipping the free security updates, bug fixes, and technical support it used to. Nothing broke overnight — and months on, plenty of Windows 10 machines are still chugging along fine. But as new security holes are found and left unpatched, an online Windows 10 PC gets riskier over time, especially for banking, email, and shopping.

There is a free one-year safety net (the ESU bridge, below), but it closes on October 13, 2026 — so if you're still on Windows 10, this is the year to make a plan rather than drift. The good news: you have more time and more options than the original deadline made it sound, and most of them are free.

Option 1 — Upgrade to Windows 11 (free, if your PC qualifies)

If your computer meets Windows 11's requirements — most importantly a security chip called TPM 2.0 and a supported processor — you can upgrade to Windows 11 for free. Many machines from roughly 2018 onward qualify; older ones often don't. We can check your PC's eligibility in a couple of minutes.

Option 2 — Extended Security Updates (a free one-year bridge, ending October 2026)

If you're not ready to move, Microsoft is giving consumers one extra year of security updates — through October 13, 2026 — via the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. There are three ways to enroll, and for most home users it costs nothing: free if you turn on Windows Backup to sync your PC settings to a Microsoft account; free with 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points; or a one-time payment of about $30 (which covers up to 10 PCs on the same Microsoft account). Your PC needs to be on Windows 10 version 22H2 to qualify; the enrollment option appears in Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update.

One point that trips people up: the free "sync your settings" route does not force you to back up all your files to OneDrive. You sign in with a Microsoft account and turn on settings sync — it doesn't fill up the 5 GB free OneDrive tier with your documents and photos. (If you'd rather not use a Microsoft account at all, the ~$30 option avoids it.)

Two things to understand about the deadline. First, October 13, 2026 is both the last day to enroll and the last day updates arrive — enrolling late doesn't buy you a later cutoff, so there's no advantage to waiting. Second, ESU is a bridge, not a long-term fix: it delivers security-only patches (no feature updates, no general technical support), and then it's done. Treat it as time to plan your next move, not a permanent home.

Good news: your Office apps keep getting updates until 2028

A common worry is that Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook will suddenly stop working the moment Windows 10 support ended. They won't. Microsoft has committed to keep shipping security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps (the subscription Office apps) on Windows 10 for three years past the cutoff — through October 10, 2028 — delivered through the normal update channel.

The trade-off is that those apps stop getting new features on Windows 10 (they freeze at version 2608 and then receive security fixes only), and if you hit an Office problem that only happens on Windows 10, Microsoft's support will point you to Windows 11. So Office is safe to keep using for a good while — this isn't a reason to panic-buy a new PC — but it's one more nudge toward Windows 11 over the next couple of years.

Option 3 — New computer, or repurpose the old one

If your hardware can't run Windows 11 and the machine is getting on in years, a new computer is the clean path — and a good moment to make sure you get an SSD and enough memory. (See our guides on buying new vs. used.)

If the old PC still works fine for basic web and email, it doesn't have to go to landfill: lightweight Linux or ChromeOS Flex can run on hardware Windows 11 rejects, keeping it useful and secure.

What not to do

The one option to avoid is doing nothing — staying on Windows 10, online, with no ESU and no plan — especially for banking, email, and shopping. At a minimum, enroll in the free ESU bridge so you keep getting security patches: it's free, it takes a few minutes, and it buys you breathing room. But don't mistake the bridge for a destination — it closes in October 2026, so use the time to line up the upgrade, the new machine, or the lightweight-OS plan that actually fits your PC.

If you're not sure which path fits your computer, we'll check whether it can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, get you onto ESU, migrate you to a new machine, or set up a lightweight OS on the old one — and we'll move your files and email across either way.