Today is (Not) the Final Day of Support for Windows 10
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 14, 2025
-
6
Today marks the final day of support for Windows 10, but not really because individuals can get an additional year of support for free, and businesses can get up to three more years of paid support.
“Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025,” the Microsoft Learn website explains. “The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will remain in support with monthly security update releases through that date. Existing LTSC releases will continue to receive updates beyond that date based on their specific lifecycles.”
In case that’s as clear as mud, here are the options if you’re still running Windows 10.
Upgrade to Windows 11. If your PC is supported, you will receive an upgrade notification in Windows Update. If not, you can use a workaround I document in the Upgrade chapter of the Windows 11 Field Guide.
Get a free year of security updates. Any individual can get an extra year of support for Windows 10 for free. If you’re in the European Economic Area (EEA), you just need to sign in to Windows 10 using a Microsoft account (MSA). If you’re elsewhere in the world, you need to sign in with an MSA and then sync your PC settings one time using the Windows Backup app.
Pay for one year of security updates. If you don’t want to sign in to Windows 10 with an MSA, you can pay Microsoft $30 (USD) for that additional year of security updates. To do so, open Windows Updates in Windows 10, where you will find a link to enroll in Windows 10 Extended Security Updates. A dialog will appear when you click this link offering you three options: Back up your PC options, redeem Microsoft Rewards points, and One time purchase.
Do nothing. I don’t recommend this given the free year of security updates noted above, but depending on how you use the PC, you could simply just keep using it as-is, as so many do without issue. Just exercise some common sense. Which come to think of it, makes this a less viable option.
Buy a new PC. If your PC really doesn’t meet the Windows 11 minimum hardware recommendations—meaning it was built in roughly 2017 or older—and you use it regularly, it’s almost certainly time for a new PC. I strongly recommend moving to a Qualcomm Snapdragon X-based Copilot+ PC for most users.
Repurpose the PC. This is likely a bridge too far for many, but you could pave the PC over and install an alternative OS like Linux (including the latest release of Zorin OS) or ChromeOS Flex.
Recycle the PC. One of the big concerns with the end of support for Windows 10 is that hundreds of millions of computers will end up in landfills. But you can do your part to not pollute the planet by recycling your PC if you can’t find a way to keep using it. To do so, you could research local solutions, but Microsoft offers a free recycling program for individuals as well.