Windows 10, the operating system that barely anyone loved when it first came out, is supported until October 2025 by Microsoft. The operating system is still widely used with a commanding lead over Windows 11.
Statcounter, for example, lists Windows 10’s usage share at about 68% and Windows 11’s at just 26% as of November 2023. Windows 10’s usage share will drop until October 2025, but it seems unlikely that Windows 11 will overtake it by then.
A percentage of Windows 10 devices is compatible with Windows 11. These can be upgraded to Windows 11 and a good portion will likely be upgraded in the coming 2 year period.
Millions of Windows 10 devices are not compatible with Windows 11 on the other hand. Microsoft changed the operating system’s hardware requirements. Main restrictions affect the processor and also the TPM security component.
A Windows 10 support extension is coming
Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it will offer Extended Security Updates for Windows 10. These extend the life of the operating system beyond the official date.
Notable is the inclusion of individual consumers. When Microsoft launched ESU for Windows 7, it restricted the offer to Enterprise and business customers.
This changes under Windows 10. Everyone, basically, may extend support of Windows 10 beyond October 2025. This option comes at a price though. Microsoft did not reveal it at this point.
A look back at ESU for Windows 7 may provide estimates. Microsoft increased the cost of support each year.
Businesses could get support extensions for Windows 7 Pro for $50, $100 and $200 per device. Enterprise customers paid half of that. To extend support by three years, businesses paid Microsoft $350.
Microsoft might use the same system for Windows 10 and consumer devices. The company has no vetted interest in keeping users on Windows 10 and likely won’t make the offer too cheap.
Some might say that Microsoft’s main motivation behind the move is to avoid the risk of losing millions of users to alternatives.
As a reminder, here are the available options that Windows 10 users have if they want to keep the device:
- Keep on using Windows 10 without updates.
- Keep on using Windows 10 with Extended Security Updates.
- Keep on using Windows 10 with third-party security updates by 0Patch.
- Keep on using Windows 10 and use ESU updates or other updates restricted to certain editions or subscriptions unofficially.
- Upgrade to Windows 11 (enforce upgrade if hardware is incompatible).
- Migrate to Linux.
The right option?
Most options make sense. You may not want to run Windows 10 without security updates support, but all other options work for a period or even indefinitely.
The selection between an ESU and a 0Patch subscription is not as straightforward as it looks on first glance. 0Patch subscriptions cost about $25 per year, whereas Microsoft is likely going to charge a multiple of that.
Microsoft patches are official on the other hand and they include patches for security issues that are not critical. 0Patch focuses on high-risk security updates for the most part.
The upgrade to Windows 11 is a free option. It works for most devices, even those that are incompatible. Running Windows 11 on incompatible devices is not all that different from compatible ones. A few features may not work, but the main inconvenience is that feature updates require another compatibility check.
You could install a feature update every second year, as Microsoft supports all major Windows 11 versions for 24 months. Still, you need to bypass the compatibility checks again when updating.
Microsoft fuelled uncertainties by stating that it can’t guarantee any update or support if a device is incompatible. At least the update part of the statement is unsubstantiated up to this point.
Linux is another option, but it has the highest hurdle of them all. There is no direct migration path from Windows to Linux. This means that users need to back up data, install Linux and import that data to Linux after installation. Other issues include that some programs are not available for Linux, but there are usually alternatives.
Gaming has improved on Linux in the past couple of years, but there are still games that you can’t run on the platform.
Closing Words
ESU for Windows 10 adds another option for home users, which is good. No one is forced to subscribe, but users may do so to extend support.
Now You: do you run Windows 10? What will you do in 2025?