Windows 10 End of Support: What Your Business Must Do Now
Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. If any of your machines still run it, here's what that means — and your realistic options.
What "end of support" actually means
Windows 10 still works — that's exactly what makes it dangerous. Since 14 October 2025, Microsoft no longer issues free security updates for it. Every vulnerability discovered since then remains permanently open on an unpatched Windows 10 machine, and attackers deliberately target end-of-life systems because they know the holes will never be closed. It's the same story that played out with Windows 7 and Server 2012: the risk isn't that the software stops, it's that it quietly becomes the easiest way into your network.
Why this matters more for businesses than home users
- Cyber insurance and compliance — running unsupported operating systems can invalidate cyber insurance claims and is an automatic fail for Cyber Essentials certification. If you handle client data, it also sits awkwardly with UK GDPR's requirement for "appropriate technical measures".
- One machine is enough — a single forgotten Windows 10 laptop with network access can undermine everything else you've spent on security.
- Software support is drying up — browsers, accounting packages and line-of-business applications are progressively dropping Windows 10, so breakage accumulates over time.
Your three realistic options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11 (free, where hardware allows). If your PCs meet Windows 11's hardware requirements — broadly, Intel 8th-gen/AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer with TPM 2.0 — the upgrade is free and usually straightforward. We audit your fleet, confirm which machines qualify, and schedule upgrades out of hours.
2. Replace machines that can't upgrade. Hardware too old for Windows 11 is typically 7+ years old and due for replacement on performance grounds anyway. We can spread replacements over months, prioritising the highest-risk machines first — see our hardware services.
3. Buy time with Extended Security Updates (ESU). Microsoft sells ESU for Windows 10 as a paid stopgap, with prices that increase each year — deliberately, to push migration. Sensible for a handful of machines awaiting replacement or a legacy application that genuinely needs Windows 10; a false economy as a strategy.
What not to do
Doing nothing is a decision — the wrong one. And "we'll just be careful" isn't a control: most compromises start with a phishing email or malicious website, not carelessness you can will away. Unsupported machines that must stay (for instance, driving old machinery) should at minimum be isolated from your main network and the internet — we can help do that safely.
Where to start
Ask us for a free Windows 10 risk audit: we'll inventory what's still running Windows 10 across your business, tell you which machines can upgrade free, what replacement would cost for the rest, and whether ESU makes sense as a bridge. Fifteen minutes on the phone gets you a clear, costed plan — call 01865 594100 or request a callback.