Windows 10 support ended: planning a route

Ordinary support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025. The PC does not switch off, but Microsoft no longer sends regular security updates, new features or technical support for the ordinary edition of that system. Staying without a plan means new vulnerabilities may never be patched. As you read this in 2026, the Extended Security Updates program is only a temporary bridge, announced through 12 October 2027.

The baseline for supported releases is in the guide to supported Windows releases. Before you upgrade, replace the device or even enroll in the temporary program, take a backup you can restore.

See the exact version first

1. Open Settings > System > About and read Windows specifications: write down the version and the edition.
2. For Windows 10, the main way to stay on ESU is version 22H2. If you are on an older version, first see whether you can reach 22H2 or whether you must choose another route.
3. Open Settings > Windows Update. That same page usually says whether the device can upgrade to Windows 11, whether it is enrolled in ESU, or shows another message.
4. Do not judge the status from memory or from an old video; that page is current for your account and region.

The main path: an upgrade to Windows 11

If the hardware qualifies, an upgrade to Windows 11 is still the main path and has been announced as free for eligible devices. Windows 11 receives regular patches and is a more permanent home than ESU.

1. In Windows Update, see whether an upgrade offer is there.
2. Before you start, take a backup and check once that critical programs will work with Windows 11.
3. Write down the BitLocker or Device Encryption recovery key separately; you may need it after the upgrade. Encryption is covered in the guide to secure file storage.
4. Do the upgrade from Windows Update itself or from Microsoft’s official path, not from an unknown installer.
5. When it finishes, open Windows Update again so remaining patches install, and confirm the version in About.

The temporary path: ESU through 12 October 2027

If the hardware is not enough, or you need more time, the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for version 22H2 delivers important security fixes through 12 October 2027. It does not add features or technical support, and it is a temporary bridge rather than a permanent home. Enrollment terms and cost vary by region and account type; the Windows Update page shows what applies to your PC. Microsoft’s own site has the official details.

1. In Windows Update, look at the ESU enrollment status. If you are not enrolled and want to stay for now, follow that page or Microsoft’s official help.
2. Do not treat ESU as permanent. Put a date on your own calendar before 12 October 2027 for an upgrade or a replacement.
3. If you have several PCs, check each one separately; enrolling one does not cover them all.
4. After you enroll, install updates from Windows Update and do not leave them off.

The third path: replace the device or move to another system

If the device is not eligible for Windows 11 and ESU is not possible or not desirable, a third route is to replace the device or, for some people, to move to another operating system that is still supported. Take a backup before any of these steps.

1. See which programs run only on Windows; that affects the next system you choose.
2. If you are considering Linux, the guide to Linux updates and privileges covers the baseline. That path is not for everyone and needs maintenance.
3. Set up the new device and test a restore before you hand over the old one.
4. Sanitize the old device before you sell it, not with a quick format alone.

Avoid unofficial workarounds of Windows 11 requirements

The internet advertises ways to install Windows 11 on hardware Microsoft has not treated as eligible. This page does not describe those methods. Such a setup can complicate patching and support and leave you fully responsible for the result.

1. If Windows Update says the device is not eligible, choose among ESU, replacing the hardware and another operating system.
2. If you install it yourself, get the ISO only from Microsoft’s official path.
3. Set aside an install “from a channel” or a modified build.

Check other programs separately

Office and some other programs may also have more limited support on Windows 10. Check that separately from Windows itself. A browser and an antivirus do not make up for an unpatched operating system.

1. Look up your Office edition or other office suite on that maker’s official site for support on Windows 10.
2. Keep the browser updated from the official path, but do not treat that as a substitute for an upgrade or for ESU.
3. If a critical program will not work on Windows 11, plan with its maker or with an alternative before the cut-off day.

What actually changes without patches

A device without support is not the same as a device that is switched off. The web, mail and files still work, and that normality hides the risk. Vulnerabilities found after support ends may no longer get an official patch for ordinary Windows 10.

1. Do not confuse this with “I have not had a virus yet, so it is safe.”
2. If you can, open sensitive accounts on a device that still receives patches until the migration plan is finished.
3. If several people share a home PC, coordinate the decision with them; one person cannot assume the others accept the risk.

What to prepare before an upgrade

1. Write down the programs you need every day and check that compatible versions exist.
2. Check a printer, a specialized tool or old workplace software separately.
3. Put the backup on an external disk or another place that will not be wiped during the upgrade.
4. Choose a time when a long upgrade will not stop your work.
5. After the upgrade, test the Microsoft or local account sign-in, mail and the password manager one by one.

Why some devices are not eligible

Windows 11 usually wants newer hardware, including basic security capabilities on the device. Microsoft sets the exact list, and it can change. If your system is refused in Windows Update, read the message on that page rather than a summary from a forum.

1. Look at the processor model and firmware status in About and in the Windows Update message.
2. If the device belongs to an organization, coordinate with whoever runs that system; organizational policy may manage the upgrade.
3. Compare buying a new device with the cost and remaining time on ESU, not only with today’s price.

Move several PCs one at a time

In a home or a small office there is usually more than one Windows 10 device left. A plan is practical when each one has its own route and date written down.

1. Make a simple table: device name, version, whether it can take Windows 11, whether ESU is enrolled, target date.
2. Move first the device that holds more sensitive work or whose backup is more ready.
3. Do not upgrade a device other people depend on without coordination and without a backup.
4. After each device, tick that it is patched and that important files still open.

If you do nothing today

Until 12 October 2027, if you are not on ESU — and after that date even with ESU — there will be no regular official patch for Windows 10 unless Microsoft later announces something else. Do not tie the plan to that “unless.”

1. Put a reminder in the calendar for several months before ESU ends.
2. By then you should already have tested the main path — Windows 11 or a new device — rather than starting that same week.
3. If replacement cost is a limit, put that into the decision now, not in the last week.

Review these once after an upgrade

1. Leave Windows Update open until remaining patches finish installing.
2. Disk encryption is still on, and you know where the recovery key is.
3. Mail, the password manager and work files open.
4. A printer or essential tool still connects, or you know the fallback.
5. Re-harden extra accounts that were left open during the upgrade, if needed.

If something important does not open after the upgrade, restore first from that same tested backup, not by reinstalling an unknown file sent in a group message or on an unknown site.

Common mistakes

• Assuming that because the PC turns on it is still supported.
• Neither enrolling in ESU nor upgrading, and relying on an antivirus instead.
• Assuming ESU will be extended forever.
• Upgrading without a backup and without writing down the encryption recovery key.
• Installing Windows 11 from an unknown file in order to bypass hardware requirements.

What to do today

1. Check the exact Windows version in Settings > System > About.
2. If you are still on Windows 10, check eligibility for Windows 11 once, carefully and completely, on that same Windows Update page.
3. If you are staying for now, check your ESU enrollment status in Windows Update.
4. Make a backup this week and set a specific date in your own personal calendar today for an upgrade or a device replacement; do not treat the ESU program as a permanent home.
5. Write the disk-encryption recovery key down off that same PC and, after every large change, test restoring important files once in calm conditions.