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If any of the computers in your business are still running Windows 10, here’s the plain truth: as of October 14, 2025, Microsoft ended support for Windows 10. The machines still turn on and still run your programs, so it’s easy to assume everything’s fine. It isn’t. An unsupported operating system is a problem that gets worse quietly, every month — and a lot of businesses are sitting on it without realizing the clock already ran out.
What “end of support” actually means
Windows 10 didn’t stop working on October 14 — it stopped getting security updates. Microsoft no longer ships patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities, no longer provides feature updates, and no longer offers technical support for it.
That matters because attackers actively look for unpatched systems. Every new flaw found in Windows 10 from here on is one that Microsoft will not fix on an unprotected machine — an open window that widens over time. Running an unsupported OS is also increasingly a red flag for cyber insurance and for anyone who audits how you handle data: “we’re still on Windows 10” is a hard line to defend.
Your real options
There are really only three paths, and one of them isn’t viable for long:
1. Do nothing (not recommended). Keep running Windows 10 with no updates. It’s free today and expensive the day something gets in. For most businesses, this isn’t a plan — it’s a gamble that grows worse each month.
2. Buy time with Extended Security Updates (ESU). Microsoft offers paid ESU for businesses as a bridge: it starts at US$61 per device for the first year and doubles every consecutive year (roughly $122 in year two, $244 in year three), for a maximum of three years. It delivers only critical and important security patches — no features, no technical support. The escalating price is deliberate: ESU is meant to buy you time to migrate, not to be a permanent home. Two footnotes: Windows 10 machines running as Windows 365 Cloud PCs or Azure Virtual Desktop VMs get ESU at no extra cost, and the consumer ESU program — the one with a free enrolment option — is for personal devices and can’t be used commercially.
3. Move to Windows 11 (the real answer). This is where you want to end up. The catch is that Windows 11 has stricter hardware requirements — including TPM 2.0, UEFI with Secure Boot, and a compatible 64-bit processor — so some of your older computers simply can’t upgrade and will need to be replaced. That’s not a reason to delay; it’s a reason to plan, so a hardware refresh happens on your schedule and budget instead of in a panic after an incident.
What to do now
You don’t need to replace everything this week. You need a plan built on facts:
- Inventory your machines. Which are on Windows 10? Which of those can run Windows 11, and which can’t?
- Sort them into buckets: upgrade in place, replace the hardware, or bridge with ESU while you transition.
- Budget the refresh over a realistic window instead of absorbing it all at once — or all at once in an emergency.
- Prioritize the exposed machines — anything handling customer data, payments, or health information should come off unsupported Windows first.
The businesses that will have trouble are the ones that treat this as a someday problem until a breach makes it a today problem. The fix is straightforward: know what you have, and migrate it on purpose.
Not sure how many of your computers are still on Windows 10 — or which ones can even run Windows 11? Managed IT from DVG Systems includes keeping your fleet current, and we help Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario businesses plan and execute the move off Windows 10 without breaking the budget. Book a free assessment and we’ll give you a clear picture of where you stand.
Sources and last verified
Last verified 11 September 2026. The ESU price and programme terms are set by Microsoft and can change; the year-two and year-three figures are derived from Microsoft’s stated doubling rule.
- Windows 10 Home and Pro lifecycle, Microsoft Learn: end of support October 14, 2025; version 22H2 is the final version.
- Windows 10 support has ended on October 14, 2025, Microsoft Support: no further security updates, feature updates or technical support.
- Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10, Microsoft Learn: US$61 per device for year one, price doubles each consecutive year for a maximum of three years; ESU at no additional cost for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop VMs.
- When to use Windows 10 Extended Security Updates, Microsoft Windows IT Pro Blog: the US$61 year-one price and doubling rule.
- Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates, Microsoft: consumer programme for personal devices with a free enrolment option, not for commercial use (link taken from the Microsoft Learn ESU page above).
- Windows 11 requirements, Microsoft Learn: TPM 2.0, UEFI Secure Boot, compatible 64-bit processor, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage.