In short: Windows 10 PCs still work, but they stopped getting free security updates on 14 October 2025. Upgrade every PC that can run Windows 11 (it's free), budget to replace the ones that can't, and use Extended Security Updates as a short bridge for machines you can't replace yet. ESU is free for home PCs until 12 October 2027, and paid for business PCs.
What "end of support" actually means
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Your PCs didn't switch off, but since that date Microsoft no longer provides:
- Security fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities
- Bug fixes and new features
- Technical support
Every month new weaknesses in Windows are found and fixed, but only for supported versions. An unpatched Windows 10 PC becomes an easier way into your network, and one infected PC can spread ransomware to your server and shared drives.
There's a compliance angle too. POPIA requires businesses to take "appropriate, reasonable" technical measures to protect personal information. Running an operating system that no longer gets security updates is hard to defend after a breach.
Your three options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11 (free, if the PC qualifies)
If a PC meets Windows 11's hardware requirements, the upgrade costs nothing and your files and programs stay in place. The main requirements are:
- A supported processor (roughly Intel 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 2000 series and newer)
- TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot switched on
- At least 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage
Microsoft's free PC Health Check app tells you whether a PC qualifies. In our experience the processor is the most common blocker, usually on PCs bought before about 2018. TPM and Secure Boot are often just switched off in the BIOS and can be turned on.
2. Replace the PC
For older PCs, replacement is usually the better long-term spend. A new business PC comes with Windows 11, a warranty and several years of support, and it will be noticeably faster for your staff.
3. Use Extended Security Updates (ESU) as a bridge
Extended Security Updates keep critical security patches coming for Windows 10 version 22H2, but nothing else: no new features and no general support. How you get ESU depends on whether the PC is a home PC or a business PC.
Home PCs: free until 12 October 2027. Microsoft has extended its consumer ESU programme by a year, to 12 October 2027. A personal Windows 10 PC just needs to be enrolled: go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, select Enroll now and sign in with a Microsoft account. Enrolment is free if you back up your PC settings to that account (you can also redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or pay a once-off $30). PCs that are already enrolled carry on automatically to the new date.
Business PCs: paid, per device. The free consumer option isn't available for PCs joined to a company domain or Microsoft Entra, or managed with device management, and Microsoft doesn't allow it for commercial use. Businesses buy ESU per device, in US dollars, and the price doubles each year:
| ESU year | Covers | Price per device |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | October 2025 to October 2026 | $61 |
| Year 2 | October 2026 to October 2027 | $122 |
| Year 3 | October 2027 to October 2028 | $244 |
Two things catch people out:
- It's cumulative. If you join in year 2, you also pay for year 1, so a device starts at $183, not $122.
- The PC must be on Windows 10 version 22H2 before ESU updates will install.
For business PCs, three years is the maximum. After October 2028 there's no more ESU, so it only delays the decision.
What we recommend
- List every PC. Note its age, processor and whether it passes PC Health Check.
- Upgrade the eligible PCs now. It's free. We schedule upgrades after hours so staff aren't interrupted, and check that line-of-business software such as accounting packages works first.
- Budget to replace the rest over the next few months, oldest and most-used first.
- Use ESU only where you must. For example, a PC running specialised software that isn't yet certified on Windows 11, or one you can't afford to replace this year.
A recent example: in an audit of a 20-user Johannesburg business, one of 19 workstations was still on Windows 10. Replacing it immediately wasn't in the budget, so we put it on ESU to keep it patched, with replacement planned for the next budget cycle.
Remember that ESU only patches Windows itself. You still need endpoint protection, patching for programs like browsers and PDF readers, and tested backups.
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Sources: Microsoft Learn: Extended Security Updates program for Windows 10 · Microsoft: Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates. Prices as published by Microsoft for commercial customers; rand costs vary with the exchange rate.