On October 14th, 2025, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows 10, negating the corporate’s early promise that Windows 10 was going to be “the last version of Windows.” Instead, six years after it launched in 2015, Microsoft launched Windows 11.
It’s now been 4 years since Windows 11’s launch and Microsoft is bored with ready for customers to change over. As of September 2025, Windows 11 and Windows 10 are still neck and neck when it comes to global market share, and Microsoft clearly desires to nudge issues alongside.
But what does it imply that Windows 10 assist ends subsequent month? Well, enable me to elucidate! Not solely that, however I’m going to let you know why I’m sticking with Windows 10 and the way I plan to take action.
Time is working out for Windows 10
Once October 14th rolls round, Windows 10 PCs will now not obtain safety updates or bug fixes, not to mention new options. This means the longer you retain utilizing it, the extra liable to malware and hackers your PC will develop into (as a result of they’ll exploit yet-undiscovered safety flaws that gained’t be patched in your PC). And if you happen to run into system troubles together with your PC, Microsoft gained’t present technical assist.
Dave Parrack / Foundry
As-is, this has scared a number of customers into lastly taking the plunge and upgrading to Windows 11, both by initiating a Windows Update or shopping for a brand new machine with Windows 11 pre-installed. But Statcounter’s market share stats present that a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of customers are nonetheless refusing to improve—myself included.
I knew finish of assist for Windows 10 has been coming for some time, but I didn’t care sufficient to improve and I nonetheless don’t have any intention to improve. I’m sticking with Windows 10. Yes, I’m conscious of the dangers, however I’ve methods to get round them. (More on that under.)
My present PC isn’t adequate
Microsoft is determined for holdouts akin to myself to maneuver on from Windows 10, however the numbers counsel that means too many individuals are outright refusing Windows 11 for numerous causes.
Why am I staying on Windows 10? The largest cause is that my PC apparently doesn’t qualify for Windows 11. I ran the Windows PC Health Check app and located that my Intel Core i3 (on my seven-year-old laptop computer) isn’t supported by Windows 11. To improve, I’d both have to purchase and set up a brand new CPU (no thanks) or purchase a brand new PC completely (no thanks). Why spend pointless cash when my present PC works simply superb?
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Why doesn’t my CPU qualify for Windows 11? Who is aware of. I doubt Microsoft even has a great reply. Maybe my laptop computer would choke on Windows 11 as a result of it’s far more bloated, or possibly it’d work simply in addition to Windows 10 does. Maybe Microsoft simply desires to offer me a cause to desert ship and buy a new laptop.
But my laptop computer works properly! And that’s the crux of the matter for me. It’s greater than able to doing the whole lot I want, and I’m not a Windows energy consumer so I don’t want something extra. This looks like deliberate obsolescence to me… and I hate that. It’s a waste of a perfectly good laptop and I refuse to show it into e-waste. I’m additionally unimpressed by Microsoft’s potential trade-in program for Windows 10 PCs.
Dave Parrack / Foundry
As for Windows 11, I simply don’t take care of it. I’ve used it on different individuals’s PCs a number of instances and it actually doesn’t really feel like a lot of an improve. Sure, there are some noticeable enhancements, however none of them are sufficiently big and revolutionary sufficient to justify laying down a whole bunch of greenbacks on new {hardware}.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the bugs and glitches which have plagued Windows 11 since 24H2! There’s no means I’d willingly topic myself to that sort of frustration.
Dave Parrack / Foundry
It additionally doesn’t assist that, as I’ve written about earlier than, I use a Chromebook for most of my everyday activities. Which implies that my Windows 10 PC has been pushed to the sidelines a bit, solely there for these instances once I want it as a substitute of my Chromebook.
Am I simply getting outdated?
One concern that has crossed my thoughts is, possibly this all is simply an age factor. As I strategy 50, may or not it’s I’m reaching that stage of life the place I choose to stay with acquainted tech and don’t need to hassle with “the next thing”? I don’t keep in mind having these similar emotions once I needed to improve from Windows XP to Vista or from Windows 7 to 10. It very properly may very well be (at the very least partly) a “me problem” right here.
Still, I can’t deny that Microsoft is making me really feel backed right into a nook and desirous to push again, carrying on with the {hardware} I’ve been utilizing for a number of years. I’m resentful that this multibillion-dollar firm is mainly forcing me to purchase a brand new laptop and change to an inferior working system as a substitute of working Windows 11 right into a product so good and fascinating that it makes me need to change.
Don’t get me fallacious. I don’t suppose there’s something unhealthy about Windows 11. It simply hasn’t given me a compelling cause to improve. If I may freely improve while not having a brand new PC, positive, possibly I’d do it. But with it coming with an actual price, I’m selecting to stay with Windows 10.
How to stay with Windows 10 (for now)
If you’re in an identical place as me and need to preserve utilizing Windows 10 even after the tip of assist date passes, you have got a couple of completely different choices on going about it safely and securely. Whatever you do, don’t simply preserve utilizing it in its unsupported state. Without a continued supply of safety updates, you’d simply be asking for bother.
Instead, you’ll need to join Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. By enrolling your PC within the ESU program, you’ll get one extra year of Windows 10 security updates.
Microsoft
There are literally 3 ways to affix the Windows 10 ESU program. A sound Microsoft account is required for all three choices:
Option #1: Pay $30. This is a flat one-time payment that unlocks the additional 12 months of Windows 10 safety updates with no different strings hooked up (other than needing a Microsoft account). Price could fluctuate if you happen to’re exterior the US.
Option #2: Enable Windows Backup. Windows Backup is a free characteristic that backs up chosen recordsdata, folders, and settings to OneDrive so that you don’t lose them even when your PC dies, will get misplaced, or stolen. After activating Windows Backup, your Windows 10 PC will get prolonged updates.
Option #3: Spend 1,000 Microsoft Rewards factors. Instead of paying $30, you may as a substitute join Microsoft Rewards and begin incomes factors by doing issues like looking out on Bing, enjoying choose video games on Xbox One, shopping for stuff on the Microsoft Store, and many others. Points can then be redeemed for prolonged safety updates.
If any of those choices sound good, it is best to be capable of enroll your PC within the Windows 10 ESU program by way of a banner on the top-right nook of your Windows Update settings web page.
There’s additionally one other unofficial choice
If none of Microsoft’s official ESU choices appear good to you—possibly you don’t need to create a Microsoft account in any respect—then there’s yet another factor you may attempt, however this path has caveats.
There’s a free third-party instrument referred to as UpDownTool that allegedly supplies a number of extra years of assist for Windows 10. How does it work? By changing your PC to Windows 10 LTSC (“Long-Term Servicing Channel”), which is a particular cut-down model of Windows 10 that isn’t meant for general-use PCs. Windows 10 LTSC has common assist till January 12th, 2027 in addition to extended support until January 13th, 2032.
UpDownTool
UpDownTool is definitely aimed toward Windows 11 customers who remorse upgrading and need to revert again to Windows 10. However, it may nonetheless be utilized by individuals on Windows 10 (or another model of Windows) to change over to Windows 10 LTSC.
By switching to Windows 10 LTSC, you’ll find yourself with a PC that mainly runs on Windows 10 besides with none of the standard bloatware or any of the nagging pop-ups about upgrading to Windows 11. The caveat is that Windows 10 LTSC doesn’t get characteristic updates, doesn’t assist the Microsoft Store, and doesn’t assist apps which are commonly maintained by way of the Microsoft Store, akin to Microsoft Edge.
Again, UpDownTool is a third-party instrument that isn’t formally supported by Microsoft, so use it as your individual danger if you happen to select this path.
It’s nonetheless Windows 10 for me
I’m most probably going to enroll my PC within the Windows 10 ESU program by activating Windows Backup earlier than the October 14th deadline, which is able to preserve my PC safe and guarded till at the very least October 13th, 2026.
Beyond that, I’m undecided on how I’ll transfer ahead. I’ll lastly chew the bullet on a brand new PC that comes with Windows 11, however I’m additionally tempted to abandon Windows altogether in favor of ChromeOS—and if I find yourself doing that, Microsoft will solely have itself responsible.
Further studying: The best Chromebooks that are actually great