Windows 10 is finished — your options now
Microsoft's free support for Windows 10 ended in October 2025. The computer still works — nothing switched off — but it stopped receiving the monthly security updates that keep it safe.
That gap widens every month, so the question isn't whether to do something, but which of three options fits your machine.
What losing support actually means
Newly discovered security flaws no longer get fixed. Attackers pay close attention to exactly this, because an unpatched flaw in an unsupported system works indefinitely.
Over time, software makers also stop supporting it — browsers, banking apps, accounting packages. Antivirus helps, but it cannot patch holes in the operating system itself.
Option one: upgrade to Windows 11
Free, if the machine qualifies. Most computers from 2018 onwards do; the sticking point is usually a security chip called TPM 2.0 or an older processor.
- Check with Microsoft's PC Health Check tool, or ask us
- On some machines TPM is present but switched off in the BIOS — that's a five-minute fix, not a new computer
- Back up before upgrading, always
- Expect a slightly different Start menu and taskbar; everything else works as before
Option two: keep the machine, change what it runs
If the hardware is sound but Windows 11 won't install, the computer doesn't have to be scrapped. A lightweight Linux system such as Linux Mint turns an older machine into a fast, supported computer for browsing, email, documents and video calls — at no cost.
It suits second machines, children's homework computers and anyone whose needs are mostly web-based. It isn't right if you depend on specific Windows software, so it's worth checking your must-have programs first.
Option three: replace it
Sometimes the honest answer. If the machine is ten years old, has a spinning hard drive and 4GB of memory, money spent on it is money you'll spend again next year.
An SSD and a memory upgrade can be a good investment in a machine with a few years left. Ask us which of the two you're dealing with — we'll tell you when not to spend.
What not to do
Don't simply carry on and hope. And be wary of paid "support extension" offers that arrive by email or pop-up; Microsoft's own extended security programme has a defined route, and the versions advertised in pop-ups are usually a scam.
If you do keep running Windows 10 for a while, at minimum keep monitored antivirus on it, keep a current backup, and avoid using that machine for banking.