Windows 11 · IT upgrades
Windows 10 support has ended. Here's what that actually means for you
If you’re still running Windows 10, the deadline everyone talked about has already come and gone. Your computer still works fine. What’s changed is what’s protecting it.
Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10 in October 2025. If that’s the first you’re hearing of it, you’re not alone, plenty of businesses across Pakenham and Melbourne’s south-east are still running it without realising the safety net underneath them is gone.
Where things actually stand right now: Windows 10 stopped receiving free security updates on 14 October 2025. A paid bridge program is keeping some machines patched, but it has a hard expiry. We’ll get into the dates below.
What "end of support" means in practice
Your PC doesn’t switch off. It boots up the same as always. What disappears is Microsoft’s side of the bargain: no more security patches, no more bug fixes, no more technical support. Antivirus software still helps, but it was never designed to cover for an operating system that’s stopped being patched at the source. Every vulnerability discovered in Windows 10 from this point on stays open, indefinitely, on any machine that hasn’t been protected another way.
The one-year bridge, and why it's not a long-term answer
Microsoft is running a paid Extended Security Updates program that covers Windows 10 machines for critical security patches only, no feature updates, no general tech support. For home users it’s roughly a $30 one-off or free if you’re syncing settings to a Microsoft account. For businesses, it’s priced per device and the cost roughly doubles each year you stay on it.
14 Oct 2025
Already happened
Windows 10 reached end of mainstream support. Free updates and Microsoft tech support stopped.
Now → Oct 2026
Current window
Extended Security Updates is the only thing standing between an unpatched Windows 10 machine and whatever gets discovered next. Enrolment is open, but every month you wait is a month of missed patches.
13 Oct 2026
Hard stop
The consumer ESU program ends completely. No further extensions. Business ESU pricing continues to climb in years two and three, but it’s not an indefinite option either.
Why move to Windows 11 instead of just paying for the bridge
01
Security built into the hardware, not bolted on after
Windows 11 requires a TPM 2.0 chip and Secure Boot, which means encryption and ransomware protection are part of the machine itself, not just software running on top of it.
02
It runs better on the hardware it supports
Windows 11 is tuned for newer processors and SSDs. On compatible hardware, apps open faster and the system handles multitasking with less lag.
03
You're not racing a second deadline next year
Windows 11 is fully supported with no end date in sight. Migrating now means you do it on your schedule, not in a scramble next October.
Can your current PC even run it?
Not every Windows 10 machine qualifies. Windows 11 needs:
Processor
64-bit, 1GHz+, 2 or more cores, on Microsoft’s supported CPU list
MEMORY
4GB RAM minimum
Storage
64GB minimum
Security
TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot
You can check a specific machine with Microsoft’s PC Health Check tool, or we can run that across your whole fleet in one visit and tell you exactly which devices upgrade for free and which ones need replacing. If a machine doesn’t qualify, that’s a budgeting conversation worth having now rather than in September.
What we'd actually recommend
Don’t lean on Extended Security Updates as your plan. It buys you time, not a solution, and the cost curve for businesses is built to push you toward migrating rather than staying. Use that time to check device compatibility, budget for any hardware that needs replacing, and move in stages instead of all at once the week before the next deadline hits.
Want us to check your fleet?
We’ll run a compatibility check across your devices, tell you plainly what upgrades for free and what doesn’t, and put together a migration plan that doesn’t disrupt your week.
Still running Windows 10? Let's sort it before October.
We support homes and businesses across Pakenham and Melbourne’s south-east, onsite or remote.