Regular support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025. Since then, Windows 10 PCs in businesses only get security updates if they are enrolled in Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme, and its first year ends for businesses on 13 October 2026. If you still have Windows 10 machines in use by then, you have a decision to make. Here is what that means for an office with 5 to 30 workstations and how to make good use of the weeks that are left.
Three dates you should know
- End of regular support. Since then, Windows 10 has received no updates without ESU, not even security fixes, and no technical support.
- End of ESU year one for businesses. Years two and three can be added, each at a higher cost, up to October 2028 at the latest.
- End of the free ESU programme for consumers. Microsoft extended it by a year in June 2026. That extension does not cover business PCs.
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Doesn't the free extension apply to us too?
Unfortunately not. The consumer programme is meant for private individuals, and Microsoft explicitly excludes devices that are joined to an Active Directory domain or Microsoft Entra ID or managed through a mobile device management (MDM) solution. Those are exactly the machines you find in a properly managed business. For them, commercial ESU is the intended route.
Even that is only a bridge by Microsoft's own description: ESU delivers critical and important security updates only, with no new features and no general technical support. ESU is also cumulative. If you join in year two, you pay for year one as well.
Four options for every Windows 10 PC
The decision is made per device, not for the whole company. Most offices end up with a mix.
- Upgrade to Windows 11: If the PC meets the requirements, including TPM 2.0, UEFI with Secure Boot and a supported processor, the upgrade is free for licensed Windows 10 devices. Files and programs usually stay in place.
- Replace the hardware: Older PCs without TPM 2.0 or with an outdated processor can't officially be upgraded. A new device is then usually a better choice than another year of ESU, especially as old hardware fails more often anyway.
- Buy ESU as a bridge: useful for individual PCs that have a good reason not to switch yet, for example because specialist software or a connected device only runs on Windows 10. Set a date by which the machine will be replaced.
- Retire the device: PCs that are barely used are often quicker to switch off than to upgrade. Back up the data first and wipe the drive properly.
Why running without updates is not an option
A Windows 10 PC keeps working after the cut-off date; it just doesn't get fixed any more. Every newly discovered vulnerability stays open. Data protection adds to this: Art. 32 GDPR requires safeguards that take the state of the art into account. An operating system without security updates is hard to square with that, at the latest when someone asks detailed questions after an incident.
Checklist for an office with 5 to 30 workstations
- Take stock: Which PCs still run Windows 10? Note the model, age, user and key programs for each one. Don't forget laptops used from home or the PC at reception.
- Check compatibility: Microsoft's PC Health Check app shows for each PC whether Windows 11 is possible and what is blocking it. Sometimes TPM or Secure Boot is simply switched off in the firmware.
- Check software and devices: Ask the vendors whether your specialist software, printers, scanners, card readers and VPN client are approved for Windows 11. This is where most surprises hide.
- Back up your data: Make a current backup before every upgrade, ideally following the 3-2-1 rule, and make sure the restore has been tested.
- Decide: Pick one of the four options for each PC. Use ESU only where there is a concrete reason.
- Plan the rollout: not every PC on the same day. Start with one test device, then do the rest in small batches outside peak hours. Afterwards, check that sign-in, printers, network drives and specialist software work.
- Keep an eye on updates: On Windows 11, too, updates only protect you if they actually get installed. The free IT security check shows how well your business handles updates and the other basics, with ten questions in about two minutes.
For most small offices, the switch is a task you can plan rather than a major project. The key is to start now, not in the week before 13 October. If you'd like help: as part of my IT support for small businesses, I record your devices and applications, agree the right option for each PC with you and carry out the switch so your business keeps running.