Say goodbye to Windows 10, almost a year from now.
- Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025, requiring users to pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU).
- ESUs offer critical security fixes without new features or support, meant as a temporary solution while transitioning to Windows 11.
- With support also dropped for Windows 7 and 8.1, Windows 10 may be next to lose support.
Windows 10 end-of-support date is coming soon. (Almost) a year from now, Microsoft will completely drop its support for Windows 10, on October 14, 2025.
After this date, as Microsoft previously said, users will need to pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU), similar to the program offered for Windows 7, which provides critical security updates without new features or technical support.
“After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10,” Microsoft mentions.
So, what should you do if this happens to you? Well, your PC will still work, but Microsoft recommends a migration to Windows 11, which had just its biggest update of the year, the AI-friendly 24H2 version.
While ESUs do give you critical security fixes, they do not include new features or technical support and are meant as a temporary solution for organizations transitioning to Windows 11.
For years, Windows 10 has been among the most popular operating systems for gamers, or at least according to Steam. It was only recently when Windows 11 finally came on top.
Last year, Microsoft discontinued support for Windows 8.1, and support for Windows 7 was phased out in 2020. Considering this, the widely used gaming platform has also ceased support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, suggesting that it may soon end support for Windows 10 as well.
