Microsoft has confirmed plans to abandon all editions of Windows 10 starting from October 14, 2025. That will be the last occasion on which the Redmond company will release security updates for one of its most popular operating systems ever. There End of Windows 10 support for many users it implies the need to renew the PCs used, which in many cases is not justified.
This because Windows 11 imposes more stringent installation requirements, both in terms of supported processors (does not support Intel CPUs prior to eighth generation Kaby Lake and AMD CPUs prior to Ryzen 2000) and feature security features, such as the presence of the TPM 2.0 chip and the activation of Secure Boot.
End of support Windows 10: all possible scenarios
Of course, at the moment it is possible to install Windows 11 on non-compatible PCs with a simple procedure but Microsoft has repeatedly underlined that systems updated in this way could receive “special treatment”, for example by no longer obtaining security updates via Windows Update. It has never happened and it is, for many reasons, unlikely to happen in the future. But it’s a sign that Microsoft may be starting to resent the forced upgrade to Windows 11.
At the end of 2025, therefore, systems that currently use Windows 10 and which are not compatible with Windows 11 could be forcibly updated (with quite a few question marks), updated where possible side hardware (especially if the changes to be applied to make the system compatible with Windows 11 were not too heavy…), transformed into Linux systems, thus abandoning Windows. Qualified companies can possibly subscribe to a subscription plan to programma ESU (Extended Secutity Updates) from Microsoft, which offers up to 3 years of additional support for Windows 10. In other words, until October 2028 it will be possible to continue receiving security updates for various installations of Windows 10.
Alternatively there are always unofficial updates 0patch: By subscribing to a subscription, you can apply updates for Windows 10 without rebooting your system even after official support ends.
Lots of Windows 10 machines could increase the volume of e-waste
Using a Windows 10 machine without the ability to access monthly security updates should not be an option. Unless the system is properly isolated, it is not advisable to use a machine that can no longer receive corrections for vulnerability note.
Microsoft has accustomed us to occasional releases of corrective updates for operating systems that are no longer supported: this usually happens when a security problem can impact a large number of systems, on a large scale. However, these are rare exceptions: most updates will not be available for Windows 10 after mid-October 2025.
So Liliputing raises the alarm: the widespread custom among many users is to set aside a system, perhaps allocating it to WEEE waste, when it is no longer supported by the manufacturer. You prefer to buy a new PC rather than upgrade the old one or install a new one Linux distribution.
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) created a petition addressed to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella asking the company to reconsider its decision to stop supporting Windows 10. According to estimates, 40% of PCs in use today could be put aside (because they are not upgradable to Windows 11), increasing the volume of the electronic waste. Precisely what the European Commission is trying to fight.
