Windows 10 End of Life live: everything you need to know

If you're like me, you might be getting messages from your company's IT department about turning in an old laptop running Windows 10 for a new one.

As annoying as this might be, not having regular security updates for a work laptop is a serious problem that can entice all kinds of bad actors to try and infiltrate company systems using unpatched security vulnerabilities.

So, as much as you might like your current Windows 10 laptop, it's important that you take your IT department's requests seriously.

So, how many Windows 10 devices are still around?

Numbers vary hugely as one may guess. UK Consumer magazine Which reckons that there are about 21 million people in the UK alone who own and use a Windows 10 laptop or desktop. That is based on a survey of their subscribers back in July 2025.

This number doesn't include business Windows 10 computers which would add a few million more. Worldwide, that number would be in the hundreds of millions as Microsoft confirmed in July 2025 that it had 1.4 billion monthly active devices.

A 40% ballpark percentage would mean about 560 million devices. A figure that tallies with numbers from remote access behemoth Teamviewer. Corporate usage is likely to be significantly more due to much longer refresh cycles, leaving them more exposed to potential vulnerabilities.

Windows 10 is still very, very popular

Windows 10 launched just over 10 years ago and surpassed its predecessor, Windows 7, 30 months after it launched - around December 2017 according to Statcounter. That was one of the fastest refreshes in Windows history.

In contrast, Windows 11 was launched four years ago and has only just overtook Windows 10. That version still remains a wildly popular one especially in poorer countries and partly thanks to the proliferation of very cheap licenses, something that has attracted Microsoft's leniency for a long time.

Windows 10 still doesn't require internet access to install and will happily run on ancient Windows 7. 10 years ago, I ran it - albeit very slowly - on a PC from 2003 with 512MB RAM that used to be powered by ... Windows Vista.

Windows 10 technical debt is a huge worry for businesses and it will only get worse

Désiré Athow here, for the next hour or so. I am the Managing Editor of TechRadar Pro, and Windows 10 EOL is a massive ongoing issue for businesses. Much of it is due to technical debt. This refers to legacy implementations of a particular tech solution.

For an OS like Windows 10, it would be software (often bespoke) that can only run on this version and not on Windows 11. A survey carried out across UK finance IT leaders by technology specialist Cloudhouse found that six out of 10 respondents still managed a large fleet of servers, laptops and desktop running unsupported Windows versions (i.e. Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 and Windows 7).

This scenario is likely to be similar in the US and the fact that global financial services firms still carry a lot of older operating systems will be hugely attractive to hackers and cybercriminals in 2026. Check out further details.

To be clear, I'm not recommending that you play it fast as loose with your digital security. But at the end of the day, it's corporate users who are more at risk of cyberattacks, since it's frequently difficult to actually profit off targeting random individuals.

As a private user, you always have the option of simply disabling Windows updates manually and keeping your system as-is forever (or at least, until you start to run into software compatibility issues, but that'll be years away). I'm not going to advise one way or the other on this, since there is a pertinent risk of security loss after November (the October End of Life is technically the final update, which will cover you for one more month even without signing up for the ESU program), but I'll say this: I'm strongly considering sticking with Windows 10, because I don't want my OS loaded up with more Copilot AI nonsense.

Some users might be happy to stick with Windows 10 for one simple reason: they primarily use their laptop or PC as an offline device.

If your computer isn't typically connected to the internet - for example, if you have a mini PC that you use as a home media center and transfer files to it manually from a different internet-enabled device - then there's arguably no need to worry about the security updates you'll lose due to the demise of Windows 10.

In fact, most 'cyberattacks' are conducted automatically as a result of human error (clicking a dodgy link, reusing passwords, that sort of thing) - so if you install a third-party antivirus and are careful with your internet use, you might be fine for a long while yet even without the ESU support, especially if you don't really use your computer to browse the web.

Of course, you do have the option of simply sticking with Windows 10. I've been considering it myself; my work laptop came with Windows 11, but my chunky desktop at home - which I use for both remote work and gaming - is still rocking Windows 10.

Now, any consumer still using a Windows 10 device can sign up for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for free, which (as the name implies) will mean you continue to receive vital security updates for your system. The downside is that this is a band-aid solution; you only get one year of continued security updates, and it's only security updates - no new features or bug fixes here. Another catch is that in order to get the ESU for free, you'll need to sync your PC settings to OneDrive - but not your actual personal data and files.

If you do decide to abandon the sinking ship that is Windows 10 and make for the greener pastures of ChromeOS Flex, there's a key caveat that you should be aware of.

This is that ChromeOS won't necessarily support all of the software that's commonly available on Windows devices. There's still a wealth of native apps available on ChromeOS (and you can also run Android apps via the Google Play Store!), which should cover most mainstream needs; if you're going to be mostly using your laptop to do everyday tasks like browsing the web, answering emails, and writing up documents, then you'll have no problems.

However, if you use specific software that needs to be installed directly on your laptop (as in, you don't access it through a browser like Chrome or Edge), then it's imperative that you check whether it's actually available on ChromeOS before making the switch. This could include apps like hosted environments for remote work, or powerful creative tools like the full desktop version of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. If ChromeOS Flex doesn't support the software you need, you should obviously look elsewhere to fix your Windows woes.

Hi all: Computing Editor Christian Guyton here, taking over from Matt to keep this party going. Personally, I'm never going to suggest you switch over to a MacBook (I just don't like macOS, sorry!) - but another good option if you've been left in limbo by Windows 10's End of Life is to not replace your old laptop at all - just transform it into a Chromebook!

If your laptop doesn't have the necessary hardware to update to Windows 11, you could instead forgo Windows entirely and install ChromeOS Flex: a lightweight operating system designed to give outdated devices a new lease of life. Since ChromeOS is designed to utilize cloud computing to offload some processes from your local hardware, it can run smoothly even on older or less powerful laptops - which is why the best Chromebooks tend to be cheaper than their Windows counterparts.

By replacing Windows with ChromeOS Flex, you'll get the benefits of an operating system that will run smoothly and continue to be supported (similarly to macOS), all without needing to spend any of your hard-earned cash on new hardware. If you're interested, check out our guide on how to turn a Windows 10 laptop into a Chromebook.

Of course you don't have to buy a new Windows 11 laptop, moving on from Windows 10 is also a good excuse to look at alternatives, such as the best MacBooks. Even though I am a Windows PC guy through and through (I've been using Windows since the 3.1 days, and as a PC gamer, Windows remains the operating system that offers the biggest library), I now mainly use Macs and MacBooks these days, and I have to say I am really impressed by them, especially modern MacBook Air laptops, that offer excellent performance and build quality for very competitive prices.

But what happens if your PC cannot install Windows 11? Don't worry, you still have a few options.

An easy, but expensive, choice to is to buy a new laptop with either Windows 11, macOS, ChromeOS or Linux installed.

Windows 10's End of Life doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune, however. We've put together a guide on buying a cheap Windows 11 laptop that will help you find a bargain.

The good news is that if you're using Windows 10, you'll be able to install Windows 11 for free. If that's the case, then today should hopefully be quite a stress-free (and cheap) day - just visit our guide on how to install Windows 11.

You can check to see if your PC is able to run Windows 11 using our free tool - just answer the questions and you'll get upgrade advice.

Above, you'll see what the Windows 11 Start menu looks like. If you're not a fan, you can tweak to to appear more like Windows 10's Start menu.

It's certainly more familiar than going to macOS if you switch to a Mac or MacBook, though to be honest, you get pretty used to the macOS way of doing things pretty quickly, with the new Apps window (which replaces the old Launchpad tool), acting in a similar way to the Start menu.

Having used both, I do think that Windows 11 is similar enough to Windows 10 that it shouldn't be too much of a culture shock for users who upgrade.

However, there are noticable changes, for example with the Start menu, which is now placed in the center of the taskbar, rather than at the left, where it's resided since Windows 95.

To get you started, check out our guide on the key differences between Windows 11 and Windows 10.

For many people still using Windows 10, the easiest thing to do is to move to Windows 11, but how similar are the two operating systems?

Hello, and welcome to our Windows 10 End of Life live blog. Today is the day that Microsoft stops supporting its decade-old operating system, and I'm here to help clear up any confusion and misconceptions that people might have.