Beginning Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Microsoft will formally finish free assist for Home windows 10, marking the conclusion of a serious period for the working system nonetheless energetic on tens of millions of computer systems globally. Regardless of the discharge of Home windows 11 in 2021, reviews point out that round 40% of Home windows customers proceed to depend on Home windows 10 as of September 2025.
What the Finish of Help Means for Customers
In line with The Guardian, as soon as free assist ends, Home windows 10 customers will not obtain safety patches, software program updates, or technical assist from Microsoft. Whereas computer systems working Home windows 10 will proceed to function usually, they’ll develop into more and more weak to cyberattacks, viruses, and malware with out common updates.
Microsoft emphasised that Home windows 11 gives enhanced safety, with trendy safety features constructed immediately into the system to fulfill at present’s digital safety requirements.
Cybersecurity Considerations
Specialists warn that persevering with to make use of Home windows 10 may make customers extra vulnerable to hacking and phishing assaults. Client advocacy group Which? estimated that over 5 million customers within the UK plan to proceed utilizing the outdated working system, placing their private and monetary information in danger.
The way to Keep Protected
The simplest method to stay safe is to improve to Home windows 11. Most PCs manufactured within the final 4 years ought to assist the improve, offered they meet minimal system necessities — together with 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, and a TPM 2.0 safety chip.
Microsoft gives a free compatibility checker, whereas Which? has a web-based processor-based instrument to assist customers confirm if their system is eligible for the improve.
Choices for Older PCs
For older computer systems that don’t meet the {hardware} necessities for Home windows 11, Microsoft is providing a one-year Prolonged Safety Replace (ESU) program, which supplies restricted safety till October 13, 2026. Customers can entry it free by signing in with a Microsoft account or buy it for $30 (or 1,000 Microsoft reward factors).
Alternatively, customers can swap to a special working system, resembling Linux, a free and open-source platform recognized for its stability and strong safety. Fashionable distributions like Ubuntu are beginner-friendly and recurrently up to date. Set up is simple and requires backing up your information and utilizing a USB drive to arrange the brand new system — detailed guides can be found on Ubuntu’s official web site by Canonical.
With the tip of free Home windows 10 assist, customers should select between upgrading, paying for prolonged safety, or migrating to an alternate OS to guard their gadgets. As cybersecurity dangers proceed to develop, well timed motion is important to keep up information safety and system efficiency within the post-Home windows 10 period.