End of support for Windows 10 — what comes next
Shari
On 14 October 2025 Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10. This does not mean your computer will stop working — it means that monthly fixes for newly discovered security breaches are no longer being released. Every subsequent vulnerability stays open.
What changes in practice
- No new security fixes. This is the essential point.
- No technical support from Microsoft for Windows 10 problems.
- The software keeps working, but over time more and more programs will stop supporting Windows 10.
- An antivirus program helps, but it does not plug holes in the operating system itself.
For a home computer without important data the risk is tolerable for a few months. For a machine you work on, handle company documents with or use for banking, putting it off is a poor choice.
Option 1: upgrading to Windows 11
The cleanest solution, if the hardware allows it. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, a supported processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of free space. Check with Microsoft's PC Health Check application, or see how to check TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot manually.
If the computer meets the requirements, you upgrade over the existing system — your files and programs are kept. You need a valid licence for the version you install: Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Home. The differences between the two are described in this article.
Option 2: extended updates (ESU)
Microsoft offers a paid programme of extended security updates. It is a temporary solution — it buys you time, but it solves nothing in the long term and the cost recurs every year.
Option 3: staying on Windows 10 for now
Acceptable only if the computer is not connected with sensitive data. If you choose this, at least: install the last available updates, keep Microsoft Defender or another antivirus program active, take regular backups and do not open attachments from unknown senders.
If you do still need a genuine licence for Windows 10 — for an older machine that does not support Windows 11, for example — see Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home.
Option 4: a new computer
If the machine is 8–10 years old, repairs and upgrades are rarely worth it. A new computer comes with Windows 11 and hardware that will keep receiving updates for years to come.
What NOT to do
Do not go looking for 'free activators' or KMS tools to get around licensing. They are distributed through sites with no oversight whatsoever and often carry malware — in detail in the article on the risks of KMS activators. The price difference between such a 'free' option and a genuine licence is a few dozen euros; the difference in risk is your data.
A short plan of action
- Check compatibility with Windows 11 (PC Health Check).
- If it is compatible — take a backup and upgrade with a genuine licence.
- If it is not — judge whether the machine deserves another year of life with ESU, or whether it is time for a new one.
- Do not leave a work computer without updates 'while there is still time'.
Not sure which case you fall into? Write to us at info@litsenzi.bg with the model of the computer — we will tell you whether Windows 11 will run on it and which licence you need.
