What Happens When Windows 10 Support Ends?

Just like its earlier versions, Microsoft will eventually end support for Windows 10. The official scheduled date to end support for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025. That means there’s around four years of time left for users. Four years is a long time, but one should remember that there are millions of Windows 10 users. Microsoft will be launching Windows 11 later this year during holiday season. During the four years, Microsoft will try to motivate as many users as possible to switch to Windows 11. As an incentive, the company will be offering Windows 11 upgrade free of cost to Windows 10 users.

However, not everyone may be able to switch to Windows 11. The new OS from Microsoft may not work for every computer. This brings up the question what happens when Windows 10 support ends and there is no option to upgrade to Windows 11. To answer such questions, here are some important things that you need to know.

No security updates – Microsoft will stop providing security updates to Windows 10 after support ends. This can make your computer vulnerable to computer viruses, malware and hacker attacks. You can use third-party anti-virus software, but that cannot ensure 100% security after support ends. That’s because inherent security loopholes may be present, which can be exploited by hackers.

No performance updates – For its running operating systems, Microsoft provides regular updates to improve performance. Bugs are also removed via performance updates. These updates will not be available after support ends for Windows 10. Your computer may become slow or develop other issues that cannot be fixed.

No new features – You won’t get any new features once support ends for Windows 10. This can hamper your productivity, especially when working with new apps or next-gen computer software.

No support for latest hardware – It is common knowledge that technology is changing at a fast pace. New devices and hardware are launched almost every year. After support ends for Windows 10, your computer may not be able to support these new devices.

On its part, Microsoft will not force you to switch to Windows 11. However, it will offer incentives such as free upgrade to Windows 11. You can choose to upgrade or continue using Windows 10. Many computers are still running on Windows 7 and Windows 8 or even earlier versions.

However, continuing with Windows 10 can have consequences, as described above. If things like security and performance matter to you, it would be better to upgrade to Windows 11. If your existing computer supports Windows 11, you don’t have to spend even a penny for the upgrade. If not, then you probably need to invest in a new machine.