Windows 10 Support Has Ended. Is It Still Safe to Use?

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MANAGED IT Published 24 August 2026 · Zachari Belivanis · 6 min read

Windows 10 still runs, but Microsoft stopped fixing its security holes in October 2025, and the extended-updates bridge for consumers closes in October 2026. Every month after that, newly discovered vulnerabilities stay open on every Windows 10 machine you own.¹ For a business, that is not a maybe-later problem: an unpatchable operating system fails the Essential Eight's patching control and raises questions on cyber insurance renewals. Here is what happened, what the risk actually is, and the exit plan.

What actually happened in October 2025?

Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025.² The machines did not stop working, and that is exactly what makes this risk easy to ignore. What stopped is the stream of security fixes: when researchers or criminals find a new hole in Windows 10 now, Microsoft does not patch it for unsupported machines. Some things continue for a while, such as antivirus signature updates, but the operating system itself no longer gets repaired.

Is running it really that risky?

Honestly: nothing exploded on day one, and it will not. The risk is compounding, not instant. Every month adds newly published vulnerabilities that will never be fixed on your machine, and attackers specifically target end-of-life systems because the fixes are public knowledge; each patch for Windows 11 is effectively a map of the hole that remains open in Windows 10. There is also a paperwork dimension: patching the operating system is one of the Essential Eight controls, and an OS that cannot be patched cannot meet it, which is an awkward conversation at cyber insurance renewal time.

What is the ESU bridge, and should you be on it?

Microsoft sells Extended Security Updates as a bridge: consumers can get one extra year of security fixes, ending in October 2026, and businesses can buy up to three years with the price roughly doubling each year.¹ Treat ESU as exactly what it is, a paid extension cord for machines you have not migrated yet, not a plan. If you are reading this in the consumer bridge window, you have months, not years.

Can your PCs even run Windows 11?

Windows 11 has hardware requirements, most notably a TPM 2.0 security chip and a relatively recent processor. In practice: most business machines from around 2019 onward upgrade free and painlessly; older machines often cannot, and for those the answer is replacement, which is less painful than it sounds given what a five-plus-year-old PC costs a business in slowness anyway. Microsoft's PC Health Check app gives a per-machine verdict in seconds.

What is the sensible exit plan?

1. Inventory. List every Windows machine and check its Windows 11 eligibility. In a ten-person office this takes an hour.
2. Upgrade the eligible. The Windows 11 upgrade is free for eligible Windows 10 PCs, and can be staged after hours, one or two machines at a time.
3. Schedule replacements for the rest. Spread them across a quarter rather than buying in a panic; you get better machines and a smoother rollout.
4. Do it before October 2026. The consumer bridge closing is the real deadline for stragglers.

We run this exact program, inventory to final machine, as part of managed IT, and the earlier it starts the cheaper it is, because planned replacements beat emergency ones every time.

Frequently asked questions

Will my Windows 10 computer stop working?

No. It keeps running indefinitely. What ends is the repair of security holes, which means the machine becomes progressively easier to attack the longer it runs past end of support.

Is the Windows 11 upgrade free?

Yes, for eligible Windows 10 PCs. Eligibility depends on hardware, chiefly a TPM 2.0 chip and a recent processor. Microsoft's PC Health Check tool tells you per machine.

What happens after October 2026?

The consumer Extended Security Updates bridge ends, leaving those machines with no security fixes at all. Businesses can buy further ESU years at roughly doubling prices, but that is a holding pattern, not a destination.

Can I keep one Windows 10 machine for old software?

If a legacy application truly requires it, isolate that machine: take it off the internet, or firewall it to the one thing it needs. An unpatched machine with open internet access is the risk; a sealed appliance is manageable.

Does antivirus make Windows 10 safe to keep using?

No. Antivirus and operating system patches do different jobs. Antivirus tries to catch malicious software on arrival; patches remove the holes it climbs through. No amount of antivirus closes an unpatched vulnerability.

General information only. This article does not account for your specific circumstances and is not legal, financial, or professional advice. For guidance on your situation, get in touch.