Microsoft will officially stop supporting Windows 10 in on October 14th 2025. However, there are still more people using Windows 10 than its successor Windows 11. So, if you’re one of the Windows 10 users still hanging on, here’s a quick guide to your options over the next few months and our tips to make any transition as smooth as possible.
If you do nothing
As of October 2025, if you’re running Windows 10, it’ll no longer receive updates. Your computer won’t suddenly stop working (your computer could actually continue to operate just fine) but having no updates to run is a concern. Any vulnerabilities in Windows 10 won’t be patched and in time, more and more holes will appear making your system very attractive to hackers.
If you’re really keen to stick with Windows 10 however, Microsoft operates a paid for service called Extended Security Updates (ESU). It costs businesses around $60 per device per year currently (we think this could go up though). Maybe an option if you’re just looking for a bit of breathing space.
Upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 11 is free for Window 10 users, but your PC will need to meet certain hardware requirements e.g. an Intel CPU older than an 8th-gen model or an AMD processor older than a Ryzen 2000 series, plus TPM 2.0 which is a requirement for the improved security that comes with Windows 11. You’ll probably already know if your PC is eligible for upgrading to Windows 11 as you’ll have received loads of notifications and pop ups.
If your devices don’t support Windows 11, don’t rush your procurement process. Speak to your MSP about which devices are best for each user so you can as many years out of them as possible.
Switch to another Operating System
If you want to switch from Windows completely, you could consider switching to an alternative operating system such as Linux. Linux free but it’s a very different kind of operating system so if the reason you’re not updating to Windows 11 is because you don’t like change, this might not be the best option for you.
Some top tips if you do decide to upgrade to Windows 11
- Before updating the software, make sure your device has the latest date and time, check this against another device if needed.
- Make sure your important files are stored centrally e.g. on OneDrive / company mapped network drive.
- Check your Antivirus solution is up to date, latest agent version, and latest virus definition version.
- Run windows updates first, let these fully complete, there may be some restarts of the device required (will be less work in the upgrading process).
- Check for firmware updates via Support Assistant if you have a HP / Dell Command if you have a Dell device, or Lenovo Vantage if your device is a Lenovo.
- Check the device sleep settings are set to Never, Never, Never…you don’t want your device going to sleep whilst upgrading or updating.
- Give yourself time, and the device time to complete the full upgrade. Don’t start it soon as you get in, and don’t do it on a lunch break. Depending on the age of the device, this could take longer than 2 hours.
- Should you need to ‘roll back’ the upgrade for any reason (which we strongly discourage) you have up to 10 days to revert using the roll back settings within windows feature.
We look after hardware and software upgrades all of the time for our clients so just get in touch with any questions you might have, we’re always happy to help.