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Windows 10 will reach end of life next year, but what does that mean?
- After October 14th, 2025, Windows 10 won't get updates.
- You can pay for Extended Security Updates if you want to keep using it.
- Consider upgrading to Windows 11 if you don't want to pay up.
It's been known for a while now that Windows 10 is going to reach End of Life status next year, specifically in October. In accordance with Microsoft's fixed lifecycle policy, Windows releases need to be supported for at least 10 years after their initial release, and Windows 10 turning 10 years old in the summer of 2025, this is the logical step to take.
But what "end of life" means can be pretty vague just based on that term. Does it mean Windows 10 PCs will stop working? Do you need to upgrade to Windows 11? Here's what you need to know.
What end of life means for Windows 10
No more updates for you
Microsoft products typically fall into either the fixed lifeycle policy or modern lifecycle policy, which governs how they're supported. Windows 10, like previous versions of Windows, is governed by the fixed lifecycle policy, and like those previous releases, it was pretty much guaranteed to be supported for at least 10 years. Microsoft could have chosen to extend that, but with Windows 11 in play, that probably wouldn't make sense for the company. As such, Windows 10 will reach end of life on October 14th, 2025.
So what happens after that date? Well, nothing, really. Your PC won't stop working in any way, and you can keep using it the way you always have. However, this "nothing" also means you'll no longer receive updates for your Windows 10 PC.
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As long as they're supported, every version of Windows receives regular updates on a monthly basis. For less savvy users, these monthly updates may just seem like an annoyance, ut in fact, they deliver bug fixes and most importantly security improvements, with protections against specific threats or vulnerabilities that can be found over time. Without these updates, ransomware attacks and all kinds of viruses would be far more common, potentially causing loss of data, money, and even more extreme cases like identity theft.
How long will Microsoft support Windows 11?
Wondering how long Microsoft's latest operating system will be supported? Here's what we know about the Windows 11 support period.After October 14th, 2025, you'll no longer receive these updates, meaning you'll be much more exposed to future threats. However, it's worth noting that the end of Windows 10 updates doesn't mean your programs will stop getting updates, too. You'll be able to keep using these programs for a good while longer, and they'll keep receiving updates as usual. End of support for each program will depend on the developers behind it.
You can extend the support period
As long as you have money to spend
If you want to keep using Windows 10 and not worry about security risks, you have a couple of options. Installing a third-party antivirus program might help, since it will give you additional protection against newer threats (as long as the company behind it keeps it up to date). But if you want to keep getting updates from Microsoft, then you have another option: the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.
Microsoft previously offered an ESU program for the wildly popular Windows 7, and that allowed the operating system to live all the way through 2023. However, that program was only available for business users of Windows 7, so if you just had a Windows 7 PC in your home, 2020 was the end of it. For Windows 10, it's a little different. Microsoft is opening up the ESU program to everyone willing to pay for it, whether you're in a business or not.
The ESU program provides security updates for up to an additional three years, meaning you'll be able to keep using Windows 10 all the way through 2028. The thing is, it comes at a cost per PC and, at least in the case of business users, that cost is going to double for each year you sign up for. For enterprise customers, that cost is $61 per PC for the first year, which means year 2 costs $144 per PC, and year 3 goes up to $288 per PC. Microsoft hasn't announced pricing for consumers, though.
Either way, staying on Windows 10 with the ESU program is not cheap, and if you add up those three years, you're already nearing $500, which is getting fairly close to the price of a new computer that can run Windows 11. Spending that much money to keep an old PC doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have a very specific use case.
What do I do after it ends?
It may be time to upgrade
Whether you choose to pay for the ESU program or not, after the support period ends, you'll probably be thinking about what to do next. As we've already established, you can keep using Windows 10 without security updates, maybe pair it with an antivirus to stay safe from newer threats. However, Microsoft's recommendation would be to upgrade to Windows 11, and we agree with that.
For one thing, getting those security updates built into Windows just makes things easier, and Windows 11 will keep doing so for a while longer. There's currently no end of support date for Windows 11 in general, but since it launched in late 2021, it's fair to expect it will keep being supported at least through 2031. Plus, Windows 11 is a free upgrade and it has a lot of new features like tabs in File Explorer, live captions, and much more.
Should you upgrade to Windows 11?
Windows 11 has been available for a couple of years, but should you upgrade your PC to Microsoft's latest operating system?If your PC doesn't support Windows 11, you might have to buy a new one, which is understandably frustrating. But if that's the case, your PC will probably be at least 7 years old by the time Windows 10 runs out of support, and getting a new computer will have big benefits beyond just getting Windows 11. You've been missing out on big performance improvements over the past few years, and it will make a real difference getting a new computer.
Of course, no one likes feeling forced to spend money, so if you're not happy about that, we get it. You can probably extend the life of your PC by installing a Linux distribution instead. Most Linux distributions offer releases that are supported for significantly longer and work on much older hardware, so it's a valid option if you're not on board with getting Windows 11 for one reason or another.
End of Life isn't the end of the world
If you've been losing sleep over the idea that Windows 10 will reach the end of its life next year, there's no need to worry. Your PC will keep functioning, and upgrading to Windows 11 isn't mandatory, though it is recommended. If you don't want to go that route, you have options available to keep using your computer for a few more years, though we'd definitely advise caution using an operating system that doesn't get security updates.
