Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. The PCs still start up and run, but Microsoft no longer ships regular security updates for them. The only way a Windows 10 machine keeps getting security fixes is if it is enrolled in the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.
For an office or a store, the practical question is what to do with each of those PCs, and in what order. This guide covers what end of support changes, the three realistic options, how to check whether a PC can run Windows 11, and a sequence that keeps people working while you get through the list.
What Windows 10 end of support changes
Microsoft’s release information page says the October 2025 update was the last regular security update for Windows 10, version 22H2, which is the final version. After that date there are no new features, no regular security patches and no general technical support for Windows 10.
Nothing breaks overnight. Microsoft states that Windows 10 PCs continue to work. The risk builds slowly. Each vulnerability found in Windows from now on stays open on a Windows 10 PC that is not in the ESU program, and an office PC that handles email and web browsing all day is the kind of machine those flaws get used against.
Software support is the second pressure. Vendors set their own cutoffs for the operating systems they support, so ask your accounting, practice-management and point-of-sale vendors where they stand before they tell you.
Your three options
1. Upgrade the PC to Windows 11
If the PC meets the Windows 11 minimum requirements, Microsoft says Windows Update will offer the upgrade for free. For most small offices this is the cheapest path and the first one to try.
2. Replace the PC
Before you write a PC off, look in the BIOS. The TPM (often labelled fTPM or PTT) and Secure Boot are sometimes present but switched off. If the processor is not on Microsoft’s supported list, there is no setting that fixes it and the machine needs replacing. When a PC that fails the check is also four or five years old, replacement is usually a better use of money than paying to keep it on Windows 10.
3. Buy Extended Security Updates as a bridge
ESU gives a Windows 10 PC security fixes after end of support. For businesses, Microsoft sells it through volume licensing at $61 USD per device for the first year. The price doubles each year for a maximum of three years, you cannot buy partial periods, and a business that starts in year two pays for year one as well because ESU is cumulative. The PC has to be running Windows 10, version 22H2. ESU covers security updates only: no new features and no general technical support.
Over three years that comes to $427 USD per device (61, then 122, then 244), which is worth setting against the price of a replacement PC. ESU makes the most sense for a handful of machines that cannot move yet, for example one that runs a legacy application.
Can this PC run Windows 11?
These are Microsoft’s minimum requirements for Windows 11:
- A 1 GHz or faster processor with two or more cores, on the list of compatible 64-bit processors
- 4 GB of RAM or more
- 64 GB of storage or more
- UEFI firmware that supports Secure Boot
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
Two checks on the machine itself take a minute. Press the Windows key and R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. The window shows whether a TPM is present and which version it is. Then run msinfo32 the same way and look at BIOS Mode (it should say UEFI) and Secure Boot State. If either one is off, look in the BIOS settings before you decide the PC is a write-off.
Windows Update also tells you directly: open Settings, then Windows Update, and look for the Windows 11 upgrade offer.
A sensible order of work
- Take an inventory: PC name, who uses it, age, processor, RAM, TPM and Secure Boot status, and the software it runs. A spreadsheet is enough.
- Back up first. Make sure you have a working copy of the data before any in-place upgrade (the 3-2-1 backup rule is a good baseline).
- Ask the vendors of your key applications whether they support Windows 11.
- Upgrade one PC as a pilot and use it for a week before touching the rest.
- Do the PCs that handle email and web browsing first, such as the front desk and finance.
- Replace the PCs that fail the check. Budget it as a planned hardware refresh, not an emergency.
- For anything that has to stay on Windows 10 for now, enroll it in ESU if it uses email or the internet. If it does neither, keep it on its own network segment (see network segmentation).
Patching does not stop being important on the machines you keep. The same habits apply: see what patch management involves if you do not have a routine yet.
Frequently asked questions
Is Windows 10 safe to use after end of support?
A Windows 10 PC that is not enrolled in ESU gets no new security fixes, so it becomes less safe over time. The risk is highest on machines that open email and browse the web. PCs enrolled in ESU keep receiving security updates.
Do I have to buy new PCs to move to Windows 11?
Only for PCs that fail the requirements. Many machines that look ineligible simply have TPM or Secure Boot turned off in the BIOS, so check that before you replace anything.
How much does Windows 10 ESU cost for a business?
Microsoft lists $61 USD per device for year one. The price doubles every year for a maximum of three years, and ESU is cumulative.
Will my Windows 10 PCs stop working?
No. Microsoft says Windows 10 PCs continue to work after end of support. They stop receiving regular security updates.
Need a hand with the PC inventory? Scandifix helps businesses in Edmonton and the surrounding area check which PCs can move to Windows 11, then handles the upgrades and replacements around your working hours. Call +1 (587) 400-9991 (also on WhatsApp) or contact us. Related services: managed IT support and hardware and software support.