Still running Windows 10? What end of support means for you

Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025. The machines did not stop working that day, and that is exactly why plenty of businesses are still running them. Here is what actually changed and what to do about it.

What end of support really means

Microsoft no longer ships free security fixes for Windows 10. Every vulnerability found since October 2025 stays open on an unpatched machine forever. Attackers know this, and unsupported systems are exactly what automated attacks scan for. It is not that your PC becomes unsafe overnight; it is that the safety gap widens every month, silently.

It is also a compliance problem

Running unsupported operating systems undermines cyber insurance claims, fails the patching expectations of the Australian Government's Essential Eight, and sits badly in any audit that touches client or patient data. If your industry has obligations, this is not optional housekeeping.

Your three options

• Upgrade to Windows 11 where the hardware supports it. Free, and the right answer for machines with a compatible processor and TPM 2.0 chip.
• Replace machines that cannot upgrade. Anything too old for Windows 11 is generally five or more years old and due for replacement anyway. Trade pricing through our store softens the blow.
• Buy time with Extended Security Updates (ESU) for machines that genuinely cannot move yet. This is a paid, temporary bridge, not a destination, and the price rises each year by design.

The sensible path for a small business

Audit what you have, upgrade everything eligible, schedule replacements for the rest across a quarter or two so the cost is spread, and use ESU only where a specific application truly pins you to Windows 10. We run this exact exercise for clients regularly: a short audit tells you which machines upgrade for free, which need replacing, and what the realistic budget looks like. Book a free IT review and we will map it for you.