If you are still on Windows 10, you have probably seen the headlines saying support ended back in October 2025 and assumed your PC is now some kind of unpatched liability. It is a reasonable thing to think. It is also not quite right. There is a genuine deadline here, but it is not the one most people have in their head, and it lands a lot sooner than October 2027.
What actually happened in October 2025
Windows 10 reached the end of free mainstream support on 14 October 2025. That is real. Microsoft stopped shipping the routine security patches that most Windows 10 machines had been getting for a decade.
What is not quite right is the assumption that this made every Windows 10 PC instantly unsafe. Microsoft put a bridge in place for consumers: a free one year Extended Security Updates programme, taking eligible devices through to October 2026. Since then, Microsoft has also said a further consumer ESU extension can take eligible devices through to October 2027.
So there is more runway here than the panic suggests. The catch is that word 'eligible'. Enrolment is not automatic for everyone, and the steps and eligibility criteria can vary depending on your setup. If you are not sure whether your machine is actually enrolled, it is worth checking rather than assuming you are covered.
The date that actually matters: 13 October 2026
Here is the one to write down. If you have not taken any action to enrol in ESU, the original free consumer bridge lapses on 13 October 2026. That is roughly three months from now.
This is the date that matters far more than the one everyone already panicked about last October. If you are still running Windows 10 and have done nothing about ESU, this is when you actually need to have made a decision, not next year.
So where do you actually stand?
Most readers will fall into one of three groups. Working out which one you are in is most of the battle.
- Still on Windows 10, unsure about ESU. Check your enrolment status rather than guessing. If you are not enrolled and do nothing before 13 October 2026, that free bridge closes.
- Already on Windows 11. You are not affected by any of this, though see below on why some people have deliberately avoided upgrading.
- On older hardware without TPM 2.0. This is the group with the real decision to make, because a straightforward Windows 11 upgrade is not available to you at all. ESU buys you time, it does not solve the underlying problem.
Why some people are in no hurry to move to Windows 11
It would be easy to say "just upgrade to Windows 11 and be done with it", but 2026 has given some people good reason to be cautious. Windows 11 has had two major update related boot failure and BSOD incidents this year, one in January and another in June. If you have watched a colleague or family member lose an afternoon to one of those, holding off is not an unreasonable position.
It is also worth being clear about one thing: there is no Windows 12 coming to save you from this decision. Persistent rumours to that effect were denied by Microsoft again as recently as 31 May 2026. Windows 11 is the platform for the foreseeable future, rough patches and all.
When ESU makes sense, and when it is just delaying the inevitable
Enrolling in ESU is a perfectly sensible short term move if your hardware is otherwise capable and you just have not gotten round to upgrading, or if you want to sit out Windows 11 a little longer after this year's update problems. It buys breathing room without a big decision under pressure.
Where it starts to make less sense is if your PC lacks TPM 2.0 or is genuinely old enough that it is struggling day to day anyway. In that case ESU is really just a one or two year stay of execution on a machine that was probably due for replacement regardless. At that point the more honest question is not "how do I stay on Windows 10 a bit longer" but "is it time for new hardware".
That is the point where we would rather build you something properly, rather than watch you patch around an ageing machine for another year. Every system we build is hand-built to order and stress-tested before it ships, and it comes with a 5-year warranty, so if you are finally replacing hardware rather than just chasing an OS deadline, it is done once and done properly.
Build it with us
Have a play with our PC configurator, or just get in touch and tell us how you actually use your machine. Beth's usually the one who picks up when you call. Every system is hand-built to order here in our Stevenage workshop, stress-tested before it ships, and backed by our 5-year warranty.
