What to Do Now That Windows 10 Support Has Ended

After Windows 7 and XP, Windows 10 is probably one of the most loved operating systems by users. However, its 10-year run has come to an end as Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10 on October 14. So, I’m sure many of you are wondering, what will happen to the millions of Windows 10 PCs still in use? Are apps going to work at all? To answer these questions, we have discussed all the available options now that Windows 10 has reached end-of-life (EOL).

Can I Still Run Windows 10 After EOL?

Windows 10 has reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and it will no longer receive bug fixes, security patches, technical patches, or feature updates. Now, what will happen to the millions of Windows 10 PCs and laptops after EOL?

Windows 10 PCs will continue to function as usual, just like before. However, users won’t receive security updates against new vulnerabilities which can make the experience insecure. Next, over time, some apps and services may face compatibility issues as Windows 10 is no longer officially supported by Microsoft.

That said, if you are a power user, you can keep your browser and antivirus up to date, and continue to use Windows 10 by mitigating the risks yourself. First of all, Microsoft is planning to offer antivirus definition updates through Windows Security (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) until 2028. It means that your Windows 10 PC will be protected against viruses and new threats.

Apart from that, Microsoft has also confirmed that Microsoft 365 (Office) apps will receive security updates until 2028. You won’t receive new features, though. Google has also said that Chrome will continue to receive security updates, and so far, there has been no news on ending support for Windows 10. And for your information, Google supported Chrome on Windows 7 until 2023, three years after its official end of support.

Having said all of that, for a majority of Windows 10 users, I recommended upgrading to Windows 11 in order to remain secure and up to date. In case, you still prefer to use Windows 10 while keeping your PC secure, you can opt for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for free, which I have explained in detail below.

Enroll Into the Free ESU Program to Use Windows 10 Safely

Even after reaching end-of-support, Microsoft continues supporting older operating systems for businesses and educational institutes through the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. This program provides critical security updates, but at a cost. Thankfully, Microsoft has announced the ESU program for Windows 10 and, this time, consumers can enroll into this program for free.

You just have to link your Microsoft account with your Windows 10 PC and sync your PC with OneDrive to receive one year of free ESU updates. You can follow our tutorial to get one year of free security updates on Windows 10.

Apart from that, you can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Reward points to get ESU updates for free. And if you don’t want to link your Microsoft account, you can pay $30 to receive one year of security updates on Windows 10, which can be used on 10 PCs.

Yes, general consumers can pay $30 to receive one year of security updates on 10 PCs running Windows 10. Educational institutes will have to pay $1 per device for the first year, $2 for the second year, and $4 for the third year. Business customers, on the other hand, will have to pay $61 per device in the first year, $122 in the second year, and $244 in the third year.

Note that Microsoft is currently offering only a one-year ESU plan for consumers, but education and business customers can subscribe to the three-year plan. This means general consumers can only continue using Windows 10 till October 2026 with the ESU update. However, Microsoft has not confirmed that it will extend the program beyond 2026 for consumers. In that case, users will be forced to upgrade to Windows 11.

Bypass Hardware Requirements and Upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10

Some users are staying on Windows 10 by choice and some are unable to upgrade due to Windows 11’s stricter hardware requirements. If your PC doesn’t meet the official requirements to install Windows 11, do not worry. You can easily bypass Windows 11’s system requirements by following our detailed guide and upgrade to the latest Windows 11 build from Windows 10.

Even without the TPM chip or Secure Boot support, you can install Windows 11 using the Rufus tool. Not to mention, you can even skip the 4GB+ memory requirement.

There is also a Registry workaround which we have mentioned in the linked guide, in case you don’t want to use a third-party tool. Now that Windows 10 has reached end-of-life, go ahead and upgrade to the safer alternative on your unsupported PC. This will save you from buying a new Windows 11 PC.

Switch to an Alternative OS: ChromeOS Flex or Linux Mint

If upgrading to Windows 11 isn’t an option, you can take a look at Chrome OS Flex or Linux Mint. While Windows 11 is my primary OS, I have used ChromeOS extensively for years and continue to use it even today. ChromeOS is no longer a web-powered operating system as it has evolved into a proper desktop OS, thanks to built-in support for Linux apps.

In fact, I have used Windows apps on my Chromebook via the Linux environment and Wine, and they work quite well. The only difference between ChromeOS and ChromeOS Flex is that the latter lacks Android app support. It’s not a big deal, to be honest. You can do so much more with Linux apps, and even install Steam on ChromeOS Flex to play PC games via the Proton layer.

You can follow our detailed tutorial to install ChromeOS Flex on your Windows PC. It runs quite well on 4GB of RAM and delivers superior battery life, compared to Windows laptops.

Finally, you can even check out Linux Mint, which has a familiar Windows-like GUI interface. It’s lightweight, secure, and most importantly, free. It works out of the box and you can install apps via Software Manager, which is user-friendly and similar to Microsoft Store on Windows.