Yesterday, time officially ended for millions of Windows 10 users. On October 14, 2025, Microsoft officially ended mainstream support for its operating system, which dominated the market for years. This move by the Redmond company forces users to switch to Windows 11, but leaves several options open for those whose hardware does not meet the new requirements.
The end of support is a significant event, especially considering that as of September 2025, Windows 10 still held almost 41% of all Windows PCs. The end of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide feature updates for Windows 10, nor technical support for problems related to its operation. From now on, only critical security fixes will be available.
Users whose machines meet the strict requirements for Windows 11 can upgrade to the latest generation of the platform for free. However, Windows 11 requirements are specific.
However, moving to Windows 11 is not possible for everyone. Microsoft continues to insist on the following minimum hardware specifications, which leave out many older but fully functional computers: 64-bit processor with at least two cores and a clock speed of 1 GHz (or system on a chip, SoC); At least 4 GB of RAM; At least 64 GB of free disk space; Graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 driver; Critical support for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0; UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) with Secure Boot support; A high-resolution (720p) display with a minimum diagonal of 9 inches.
For users who cannot or do not want to upgrade to Windows 11, there are two main options:
Workarounds: There are still various "workarounds" to install Windows 11 even on hardware that is not officially eligible.
Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program: For those who prefer to stay on Windows 10 and stay secure, Microsoft offers a subscription to the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. It provides critical security updates until October 13, 2026.
The price for this service is $30, with the option to pay by redeeming 1,000 points from the Microsoft Rewards program or by synchronizing settings with Microsoft OneDrive.
It is important to note that for residents of the European Economic Area (EEA) - as before - there is a special preference: they can join the ESU program for free. However, to participate in ESU, the computer must be running Windows 10 version 22H2, with the critical update KB5046613 (build 19045.5131 or later) installed.
The end of support for Windows 10 marks the end of one of Microsoft's most successful operating systems and finally shifts the company's focus to more closely integrating hardware standards with the cloud and security requirements of Windows 11.