Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. If your business is still running it, here is the plain-English risk and your options.
Windows 10 end of life arrived on 14 October 2025, when Microsoft stopped free security updates, and for businesses that paid for a reprieve, year one of Extended Security Updates ran out on 13 October 2026. Key IT helps Melbourne businesses find every remaining Windows 10 PC, then upgrade or replace it on a planned timeline. End of support does not mean your computers stopped working — it means they no longer receive the patches that close newly discovered holes, so every month an unsupported PC becomes a little more exposed.
Why is still using Windows 10 a security risk for your business?
Still using Windows 10 without ESU is a security risk because the patches have stopped. When researchers and attackers find new vulnerabilities in Windows, Microsoft now ships the fixes only to supported versions and ESU subscribers, so on an unsupported PC those known holes stay open permanently. Attackers specifically scan for unsupported systems because they are soft, predictable targets, the same weaknesses regular vulnerability scanning is designed to find before they do. Those scans are automated, so being too small to notice is no protection. Each unpatched month widens the gap, and many cyber-insurance policies now expect supported operating systems as a condition of cover — keeping operating systems patched is also a core control of the Essential Eight.
The gap now reaches below Windows too. Microsoft's Windows Production PCA 2011 certificate, which signs the Windows boot loader, lapsed on 19 October 2026, and Microsoft says only supported Windows versions get the 2023 replacement certificates. A Windows 10 PC without ESU keeps starting, but new boot-level security fixes can no longer reach it. Our guide to the Secure Boot certificate expiry in 2026 shows how to check each PC.
What are your options after Windows 10 end of support?
There are four realistic paths: upgrade eligible PCs, replace older hardware, move staff to a cloud desktop, or buy time with ESU. Most businesses end up with a mix, decided machine by machine.
Upgrade eligible PCs to Windows 11
Free for machines that meet the hardware requirements (notably TPM 2.0 and a recent enough processor). This is the cleanest path for most.
Replace older hardware
PCs that do not meet Windows 11 requirements need replacing. Often the right call anyway for machines several years old.
Move to a cloud desktop
Staff run Windows 11 in Microsoft's cloud through Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365, so the desktop itself stays supported and patched. Windows 10 PCs used to connect to a Windows 365 Cloud PC are also entitled to ESU while that subscription is active, buying time for older hardware.
Extended Security Updates (ESU)
Microsoft sells business ESU per device, per year, at a list price that doubles every year, for three years at most. A stopgap, not a strategy — our ESU explainer maps the free and paid routes.
How do you upgrade a business to Windows 11?
Upgrading a business to Windows 11 starts with an audit: which machines run Windows 10, which can upgrade to Windows 11 (it needs TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a supported processor; Microsoft's PC Health Check app tests a single PC), and which need replacing. From there it is a simple plan — upgrade what can be upgraded, replace what cannot, on a sensible timeline and budget. We test your key business applications on Windows 11 before anyone moves. We handle this end to end, from the audit through to procuring and deploying replacement devices configured and secured before they reach your staff, as part of managed IT.
Include your servers in that audit, because they run on a separate clock. Windows Server 2016 end of support lands on 13 January 2027 in Australia, and after that a 2016 server gets no security fixes unless you pay for Extended Security Updates. In many small offices that is the box running sign-in, shared drives and the accounting or practice database, so plan it alongside the PCs.
What if you do nothing about Windows 10?
If you do nothing, your Windows 10 PCs keep working and nothing dramatic warns you — the risk of an unsupported OS compounds quietly, one unpatched vulnerability at a time. The businesses that handle this well treat it as a planned project now, rather than an emergency after an incident. If you are unsure what you are running, that uncertainty is itself the first thing to fix — a cybersecurity health check is a quick way to find out exactly where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
When did Windows 10 reach end of life?
14 October 2025. After that date, Microsoft stopped providing free security updates for Windows 10.
Does Windows 10 still get security updates?
Only through Extended Security Updates. Business PCs need a paid ESU licence, and year one of that coverage ended on 13 October 2026. Home users can enrol in Microsoft's consumer ESU, which now runs to October 2027, but it excludes PCs joined to a company domain or Microsoft Entra, or managed through device management.
Is it safe to keep using Windows 10?
It still runs, but without security updates it becomes increasingly vulnerable, and many insurers and compliance frameworks now expect supported operating systems.
Do Windows 10 PCs get the new Secure Boot certificates?
Only if they are still supported. Microsoft says only supported Windows versions receive the 2023 Secure Boot certificates, so a Windows 10 PC needs Extended Security Updates or a still-supported LTSC edition. Without them the PC still starts normally, but fixes for new boot-level vulnerabilities cannot reach it.
Can my PC upgrade to Windows 11 for free?
Yes, if it meets the hardware requirements (including TPM 2.0 and a supported processor). Older machines that do not qualify need replacing.
What are Extended Security Updates?
A paid Microsoft program providing security updates for Windows 10 beyond end of support — a temporary bridge, not a long-term solution.
How much does Windows 10 ESU cost for a business?
At Microsoft's list price, about US$61 per device for year one, doubling each year after that, for three years at most; coverage ends for good in October 2028. Because ESU is cumulative, a business buying in year two also pays for year one. Windows 10 virtual machines in Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 get ESU at no extra cost.
What should we do with Windows 10 PCs we retire?
Retire them properly: copy off anything you need, wipe the drive, remove the device from Microsoft 365 and your device management, then recycle it through an e-waste service. A forgotten Windows 10 PC still sitting on the network with saved passwords is exactly the kind of easy entry point attackers look for.
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