The deadline for Windows 10 ending of life is almost upon us. Next month, October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop support for Windows 10, which means no more functional or security updates for the operating system.
If you are running a Windows 10 -PC and you haven’t thought much about your options yet, start doing it – and fast. In just over a few weeks, this deadline will be here and the last official security update will be sent to Windows 10.
So what are your choices at this time? That’s what I want to go into this article, considering a few options: To make sure you can’t upgrade to Windows 11 (it’s worth checking one thing if you assume you would switch to the newer OS if you could) use free updates for another year – and eventually just stay on Windows 10 without support.
The latter is really not recommended and I will make it clear why this is the case when we come to that opportunity, but it is still a (dangerous) path that some might be considering.
Check to make sure you definitely can’t upgrade to Windows 11
First thing first, you can hate the idea of Windows 11 and don’t want to upgrade at all – in which case, stop reading this part now and jump to the next paragraph. If you assume you would upgrade to Windows 11 if possible, but you cannot because your PC does not meet the system requirements, it is worth controlling a thing.
While Windows Update, or PC Health Check app, may tell you you can’t upgrade to Windows 11 because your system does not meet the requirements to have TPM 2.0, that may not be true. It may be that your computer has this security feature, but it just isn’t turned on. In some cases, you can activate TPM 2.0 in BIOS and you should definitely check – follow this explanation to do so.
If you can turn on TPM 2.0, you should now (hopefully) be able to upgrade to Windows 11 before support runs out to Windows 10. Otherwise, continue to explore the other options below.
At the last minute, Microsoft changed its offer of an extra free year with support for Windows 10 and removed all strings for those living in Europe.
If it includes you, all you need to do is to go to Windows update where you need to see a link to sign up for extended security updates just below the option to check for updates. Click the ‘Register NOW’ button and follow the instructions. If you are a Windows 10 user in the European Economic Area (EEA), all you need to do is make sure you have a Microsoft account.
Everyone outside Europe will need to sync their PC settings with Microsoft to get the extra year of free support for Windows 10.
The process is the same as above – go to Windows update and find the opportunity to sign up for extended security updates (it’s just below where you check for updates). Click the ‘Register NOW’ button, then follow the instructions, but in this case, use the Windows Backup app to sync your PC settings to OneDrive (Microsoft’s Cloud Storage Locker).
If you do not want to sync your Windows 10 computer settings for Microsoft OneDrive, you can simply pay for the extra year’s free support.
Use the ‘Sign Up Now’ button in Windows Update (as described above) to do this, but select one of the options to pay – you can hand out $ 30 (or the regional equivalent) or use 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points (provided you of course have so many).
Just hold onto Windows 10 without updates
If you do not want to pay Microsoft anything, you do not trust the company and therefore you do not want to sync any content on your PC with its sky storage, you may be tempted to just keep plodding on Windows 10 minus any updates.
In short: Don’t do this.
It may look like you’re doing well and for a while you can be. Who knows it’s a roll of the dice, frankly. However, the monthly security updates, like anyone else who signed up for extended support, are crucial to keeping any PC safe and secure.
This is because when every month rolls by, more and more vulnerabilities will grow up in Windows 10. And without security updates, they will remain upon, which means hackers can potentially utilize these holes in the operating system. The more time ticks on, the more exploits it remains open and the more likely you can fall prey for a dishonest type. And did not make any mistakes, there are people out there who will actively try to find upon Windows 10 systems to compromise.
And if you think Microsoft ‘noses into your business’ by having your PC settings synchronized, it’s bad, it’s really nothing compared to what horror can be visited on you if a hacker manages to utilize your computer, maybe get malware on your system. It is also worth remembering that you only synchronize PC settings to Microsoft’s servers to get expanded support – not any of your personal data (and none of this still applies to them in Europe, as noticed, so people in that region really have no excuse).
All in all, this is not a way you want to travel down and whatever you do, don’t postpone and just continue driving with a non -supported, unprotected copy of Windows 10.
