Windows 10 support ends today, but security updates are still available for one more year

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DragonSlayer101

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The big picture: Microsoft is officially ending mainstream support for Windows 10 today, which means millions of devices still running the older OS will no longer receive new features, security updates, or technical assistance. However, all Windows 10 PCs will remain fully functional for now, and most apps and services are expected to continue supporting the legacy OS for at least a while longer.

Following the end of official support, users have three options to continue receiving security updates on their PCs. The simplest approach is upgrading to Windows 11, but Microsoft's strict hardware requirements mean that many perfectly capable Windows 10 devices cannot legally update to the latest OS.

The upgrade officially requires a processor with TPM 2.0 support, making Windows 11 only compatible with Intel 8th-generation or newer Core processors, AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 or newer.

Other requirements include at least 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and Secure Boot enabled. PCs still using BIOS with an MBR partition will need to convert to UEFI with GPT to be eligible for the upgrade.

Users who are unable or unwilling to switch to Windows 11 can enroll in Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program, which will deliver critical security patches for Windows 10 devices until October 13, 2026. The service carries a one-time fee of $30, although OneDrive users can receive it for free. Extended security updates can also be redeemed using 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.

Older PCs that do not meet Windows 11's official requirements can be upgraded using third-party tools such as Rufus and Flyoobe, which allow users to bypass TPM and Secure Boot restrictions. While Rufus is the default choice for enthusiasts installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, Flyoobe has been gaining popularity recently due to its ease of use and small footprint.

Released in 2015 as an upgrade over the widely criticized Windows 8 / 8.1, Windows 10 quickly became a favorite among gamers and mainstream PC users. The OS still retains a large fan base, with many longtime users stubbornly refusing to switch to Windows 11.

According to Statcounter, Windows 10 regained market share in August 2025, rising to 45.53 percent of the Windows market from 42.88 percent in July. Even Windows 7 saw a slight rebound, climbing from two percent to 3.59 percent. Meanwhile, Windows 11 fell from 53.51 percent to 49 percent, though it remains the most widely used Windows version globally.

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Windows 10 support ends today, but security updates are still available for one more year

 
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Arthurik_jan said:
Wait I don't understand, the title says "...but security updates are still available..." but the Big Picture synopsis says "...will no longer receive new features, security updates..."

So what is it then?
Click to expand...
It is confusing yes. And I may be wrong but any Windows 10 PC isnt going to magically stop working. Defender will still get updates as long as it is being used.

Windows Defender will continue to receive virus definition updates even after Windows 10 reaches its official end of support in October 2025. Microsoft has confirmed that security intelligence updates for Defender will be provided separately, at least through October 2028. This is possible because the Windows Defender antivirus component operates partly independent of the core Windows operating system, allowing it to continue receiving new threat definitions even after Windows 10 itself stops receiving general security updates.

I guess we will see if that changes.
 
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Odd, I wouldn't think it ended today because yesterday I got an email from MS saying that Win 10 support ends in less than 5 day. Leading me to believe it ends on the 18th....possibly the 17th.

But then again, as of yesterday (10/13/25) when I got the email, the 14th is technically less than 5 days.
 
Neatfeatguy said:
Odd, I wouldn't think it ended today because yesterday I got an email from MS saying that Win 10 support ends in less than 5 day. Leading me to believe it ends on the 18th....possibly the 17th.

But then again, as of yesterday (10/13/25) when I got the email, the 14th is technically less than 5 days.
Click to expand...
Google has a habit of treating some email the same as USPS "3rd class".(or bulk,junk) mail. In my case, I'm still getting Harbor Freight sale notices 3 days after the sale has ended.

Of course I can't really be sure whose fault it is, Harbor Freight's or Google's. But since Google gets blamed for everything else that's wrong with the web, might as well point the finger at them.
 
Just another AI written article. I guess I need to apply to be a tech spot writer. I would at least hide the fact I used AI to write my articles.
 
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Maybe the expiration, is tied to "Microsoft time"...you know, you copy a file or something and
the MS box says "15 seconds remaining"...3 minutes later it is finally finished.
 
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I can delay having to think about this as I got the free extra year year of full support, but ultimately I will have to switch. Maybe Windows 12 is a thing, or one can desuckify 11 enough not to notice. I'm using a older non TPM 2.0 PC running 11 and testing out various software like ExplorerPatcher, StartX, StarDock etc.
 
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Just got my free extra support year, actually an hour into October 14 (I'm in NL).
I see this as a temporary fix and want to find another solution soon. I no longer trust MS and think they might pull some insane stunt(s) at some point like sneakily installing Ad Platform 11 on my main box as that PC has the right CPU and TPM.
My other box is a comic reader box and doesn't really need Internet access so maybe I'll unplug the ethernet cable and keep Win 10 on it forever.
Dunno what I'll do with the main machine yet. Maybe sometime soon I'll try a Windows version that has longer support or even ditch my main Windows PC. for MacOS. Sadly I didn't like Mint nor Linux in general so that's not an option for me.
 
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The big fuss is that Windows 11 has hardware requirements that go way beyond just needing a faster CPU or more RAM. You need three things: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot with UEFI BIOS, and a new enough CPU (8th gen or newer). This is what has me frustrated.

I have an older computer with a 4th gen Intel CPU and motherboard. This setup doesn’t have TPM 2.0 and runs on legacy BIOS. The computer works perfectly fine. It’s great for Arduino projects and for my young teenagers to play some PC games, since it has a 1070Ti. But because of the Windows 11 hardware requirements, this computer is considered obsolete in Microsoft’s world, even though it works perfectly well. Sure, I could upgrade the MOBO+CPU+RAM. I checked yesterday, and the cheapest AM4 replacement is around $207. That is assuming my PSU supports it and I do all the work myself.

Now, consider the fact that about 40% of Windows users still run Windows 10. That’s roughly 400 million devices. The amount of e-waste alone is mind-boggling, not to mention the money wasted. Well, I guess it’s great for Microsoft and their backdoor deals with manufacturers, they get a nice kickback.

The whole thing is aggravating. And let’s be clear. I don’t need an alternative like Linux. I already have two Linux laptops that I use daily for software development. I have a perfectly good windows PC that does everything I need, but because Microsoft sucks, I have to replace or decommission it. I would’ve moved to Windows 11, but they purposely made that not an option. FU MS!

And yes I did get the free one year security extension. I can only hope that in one year they have enough pressure to add another year or more. I don't need UI or basic OS improvements, just security updates.

Now I have some clouds to yell at ;)
 
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I started messing around with a new Linux distro I found yesterday. I’d heard about it a while back but finally decided to give it a try.

For anyone who’s hesitant about Linux, check out Bazzite, it’s a gaming focused distro that’s surprisingly user friendly. So far it’s been running great, and the community is actually helpful instead of treating you like a total newbie.

I’ve got it running on an i7-6700K, 32GB DDR4, and a Radeon 5700XT, and games perform just as well as they do on Windows 10.

Like with anything, just make sure you do your research before diving in. So far it has been pretty easy for me.

Maybe anyone else that has tried it can chime in.
 
"Microsoft is officially ending mainstream support for Windows 10 today, which means millions of devices still running the older OS will no longer receive new features, security updates"

Lol...! Paper Tigering from Microsoft...!

Not to worry....Just keep using it with more frequent virus/malware scans...!

From a Win 8.1 Pro user...!
 
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The article contradicts itself, how could security updates both stop and at the same time continue for one more year?
It's perfectly clear that Microsoft will not just abandon Win10, no matter what they say. Win10 will continue to receive security updates for much longer than one year, I guess until its share drops to a single digit number. They are trying to push the transition to 11, which is easy to understand, but will never really abandon 10 until it has a sizeable market share.

That said, I don't understand why people don't upgrade. The main obstacle seems to be Microsoft's scary tactics. I myself have upgraded 30+ PC's from 10 to 11 without a single glitch, many of those running ancient 'unsupported' software like Office 2007, Visual Studio 6 (a late 90s development environment) and other exotics. I've installed a fresh Rufus-ed Win11 on 50+ 'unsupported' PC configurations without a problem ...
 
pnntmp said:
The article contradicts itself, how could security updates both stop and at the same time continue for one more year?
It's perfectly clear that Microsoft will not just abandon Win10, no matter what they say. Win10 will continue to receive security updates for much longer than one year, I guess until its share drops to a single digit number. They are trying to push the transition to 11, which is easy to understand, but will never really abandon 10 until it has a sizeable market share.

That said, I don't understand why people don't upgrade. The main obstacle seems to be Microsoft's scary tactics. I myself have upgraded 30+ PC's from 10 to 11 without a single glitch, many of those running ancient 'unsupported' software like Office 2007, Visual Studio 6 (a late 90s development environment) and other exotics. I've installed a fresh Rufus-ed Win11 on 50+ 'unsupported' PC configurations without a problem ...
Click to expand...
Just wait for major update
 
Discontinuing security updates is the club M$ threatens home users with when any OS reaches EoL.

But for most home users it's less an issue then they realize. With Win 10 the vast majority of easy to exploit security issues have been dealt with years ago. While there's always the looming possibility of a new serious and easy to exploit one. The vast majority of new ones require physical access to a system, or use extremely hard to implement procedures. OTOH due to the fact that office and enterprise systems are often easy to physically access by random users, they have to be much more proactive with security issues and exploits and do need continued security support from M$.

The biggest issue for home users will be when 3rd parties discontinue legacy support. Windows 7's death wasn't due to M$ declaring it EoL. IMHO it was when Google discontinued Chrome support. This forced Steam, which uses Chrome as/in it's UI, to drop support as well. When driver and legacy support ends so will windows 10's viability. But even then it doesn't mean that users will have to abandon the OS. More that at that point systems still running Win10 will no longer be able to install new software and/or hardware. In essence they will be "frozen" in that final state, just like XP systems currently are.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that moving forward home users can dismiss any Windows 10 security concerns. Far from it. Unless they have a specific use case, like gaming, they should be considering updating to a newer OS. I suggest a Linux distro if they don't want a M$ OS. Especially if they're using their systems for anything financial in nature. I have 2 "gaming" systems that I use for "games" only, and 2 Linux Mint systems for shopping, banking, sailing the open seas, and day to day web use.

More importantly simple reliance on security updates isn't sufficient to protect a system, be it supported by a developer or not. End users regardless of being home or enterprise need to be constantly security aware. Default settings for hardware/software, especially passwords, need to be closely examined and changed if needed. Always use hard PWs and 2FA if available. Real time malware scanning is a must, but more importantly not falling for scams, obvious or not is just as important. If you don't know the source don't trust it, period.

I can easily see my 2 Win10 gaming systems being viable for hopefully the next 4 years or more. And my feeling is that we'll see a gaming centric Linux distro that can fully replace windows way before then. I'm looking at you Valve...
 
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pnntmp said:
That said, I don't understand why people don't upgrade. The main obstacle seems to be Microsoft's scary tactics. I myself have upgraded 30+ PC's from 10 to 11 without a single glitch, many of those running ancient 'unsupported' software like Office 2007, Visual Studio 6 (a late 90s development environment) and other exotics. I've installed a fresh Rufus-ed Win11 on 50+ 'unsupported' PC configurations without a problem ...
Click to expand...

Cant speak for others but the main reason I dont „upgrade“ is because I prefer a system which reliably works and just stays as I have set it up instead of constantly changing around options, looks and paths/locations via unwanted and often pathetic „feature upgrades“ every few month.
 
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Gezzer said:
Discontinuing security updates is the club M$ threatens home users with when any OS reaches EoL.

But for most home users it's less an issue then they realize. With Win 10 the vast majority of easy to exploit security issues have been dealt with years ago. While there's always the looming possibility of a new serious and easy to exploit one. The vast majority of new ones require physical access to a system, or use extremely hard to implement procedures. OTOH due to the fact that office and enterprise systems are often easy to physically access by random users, they have to be much more proactive with security issues and exploits and do need continued security support from M$.

The biggest issue for home users will be when 3rd parties discontinue legacy support. Windows 7's death wasn't due to M$ declaring it EoL. IMHO it was when Google discontinued Chrome support. This forced Steam, which uses Chrome as/in it's UI, to drop support as well. When driver and legacy support ends so will windows 10's viability. But even then it doesn't mean that users will have to abandon the OS. More that at that point systems still running Win10 will no longer be able to install new software and/or hardware. In essence they will be "frozen" in that final state, just like XP systems currently are.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that moving forward home users can dismiss any Windows 10 security concerns. Far from it. Unless they have a specific use case, like gaming, they should be considering updating to a newer OS. I suggest a Linux distro if they don't want a M$ OS. Especially if they're using their systems for anything financial in nature. I have 2 "gaming" systems that I use for "games" only, and 2 Linux Mint systems for shopping, banking, sailing the open seas, and day to day web use.

More importantly simple reliance on security updates isn't sufficient to protect a system, be it supported by a developer or not. End users regardless of being home or enterprise need to be constantly security aware. Default settings for hardware/software, especially passwords, need to be closely examined and changed if needed. Always use hard PWs and 2FA if available. Real time malware scanning is a must, but more importantly not falling for scams, obvious or not is just as important. If you don't know the source don't trust it, period.

I can easily see my 2 Win10 gaming systems being viable for hopefully the next 4 years or more. And my feeling is that we'll see a gaming centric Linux distro that can fully replace windows way before then. I'm looking at you Valve...
Click to expand...
Great post. Fully agree. I'm on W10 without the unwanted extra year b.s. updates.

It feels like freedom from their dodgy patches is like the best service pack/upgrade EVER!

W10 is prime time now. (Well, until software from other companies becomes incompatable - that won't happen for a while.)

W10 is now better than ever. Moving to the stinking pile of poo, of a very sick OS W11 with it's monthly patch breaks, plus more gunk doesn't even compare. It is simply a very bad OS. The worst by far they ever made. (My first Windows was 95. Used Dos before that.)

Nothing compares to the bloated pig, directed by some seriously sick managers, and programmed more and more by A.I. Recently it's worse. Bug after bug. How many lurk but haven't been disclosed?

What @Gezzer said about W10 has been out for ages, and the really bad exploits have been patched is true. Of course there could be more, but the majority of people who get in trouble just have poor PC practices. No patch can stop someone opening an att. that they don't 100% trust.

For a while W10 is probably more secure that W11 for those who know not to do daft things.

Wont' stay that way for long, but for the next year or three. W10, without the terror of patch Tuesdays is bliss.
 
I was able to get ESU for my computer for free. No yearly payment.

I think the only way I'll ever move from 10 is when games stop requiring it. When that happens, I'll move to a dual boot should I have the need to play older games that I still own on physical disc that I've already got functional under Windows 10.
 
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