Still on Windows 10? Where That Leaves Your Business

Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.

Since then, Windows 10 computers have only received security updates if someone enrolled them in Microsoft’s paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Year 1 of Extended Security Updates for businesses ends October 13, 2026, and Year 2 costs more.

Everything still turns on and works like normal. That’s exactly why it’s easy to put off. But every month you stay on Windows 10 without coverage, more security holes pile up that nobody will ever fix.

What “end of support” means

Since October 14, 2025, Microsoft hasn’t released security fixes, quality updates, feature updates or technical support for Windows 10.

Your PCs didn’t stop working. Nothing switched off. What changed is that Microsoft stopped fixing Windows 10’s security flaws. Attackers and researchers keep finding new ones, and each new flaw is another way in that never gets patched.

Why it’s a real business risk

• They’re an easy target. Attackers go looking for software that doesn’t get fixed anymore. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre points out that holes in unsupported products stay exploitable, often by fairly low-skilled attackers.
• Compliance gets harder. If you take card payments or handle health records, rules like PCI DSS and HIPAA expect supported, patched systems. An unsupported operating system is hard to defend in an audit.
• Cyber insurance asks about it. Insurers increasingly want to know whether your systems are supported and patched. An unsupported operating system can raise your premium, shrink coverage or give the insurer grounds to push back on a claim.
• Your other software will move on. Browsers, accounting tools and industry apps gradually drop Windows 10, so the programs you rely on can stop updating or stop working.

CISA puts running supported, updated software on its short list of basic security steps for every business.

Your three options

Most businesses end up mixing these across their computers.

1. Upgrade to Windows 11 (free, if the hardware qualifies)

If the PC is newer, upgrading is free and usually the right move. Windows 11 needs a supported processor, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, which rules out a lot of older machines. Microsoft’s free PC Health Check app will tell you if a specific PC qualifies. The upgrade keeps files and programs in place.

2. Buy Extended Security Updates as a bridge

ESU keeps critical and important security patches coming for business PCs for up to three years after end of support. Microsoft lists the price at $61 per device for Year 1 and says it doubles each year after that. The coverage dates are:

• Year 1: October 14, 2025 through October 13, 2026, at $61 per device.
• Year 2: October 14, 2026 through October 12, 2027, at $122 per device.
• Year 3: October 13, 2027 through October 10, 2028, at $244 per device.

ESU is cumulative. You can’t skip a year, so a PC that joins during Year 2 still needs Year 1, which comes to $183 ($61 plus $122). Covering one PC through all three years comes to $427.

ESU is security patches only. No new features and no real tech support. It’s there to buy time.

You may have seen Microsoft’s much cheaper ESU option for home users. That program is built for personal home PCs. As a general rule, business machines should go through the commercial ESU program above.

3. Replace the PC

Some machines are too old for Windows 11 and not worth paying ESU on year after year, especially with the price doubling. For those, a new PC that already runs Windows 11 usually works out cheaper once you add up the fees and the upkeep.

How to plan the move

You don’t need to do it all at once, but you do need a plan:

1. List every computer still running Windows 10.
2. Check which ones can move to Windows 11.
3. Upgrade the ones that qualify.
4. For the rest, decide between ESU to buy time and replacement, based on age and what the machine does.

If you’re paying for ESU, treat it as a deadline, not a solution. Each year costs more than the last.

If you’ve got a mix of machines nearing replacement age, we can help you build a plan. That’s the kind of thing we handle under IT projects. Reach out or call (888) 933-2975.