Can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options – and 2 months to decide

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Windows 10 support ends on Oct. 14, 2025.
• Users have free and paid options for extended updates.
• Doing nothing is not a safe option.  

Have you decided what to do with your Windows 10 PCs when they reach their official end-of-support date in two months?

I can tell you with absolute certainty that Microsoft is not going to back down at the last minute and extend that deadline. But you do have options, including some new ways to continue getting security updates for an extra year, at no cost, thanks to an announcement Microsoft made in late June. Don’t procrastinate, though — you’ll need to take action in the next 60 days to stay secure.

Also: How to get free Windows 10 security updates through Oct. 2026

Even if you and your business aren’t affected by this deadline, it’s likely that you have friends and family members who own older PCs that are still perfectly functional but can’t be upgraded to Windows 11. They’ve probably been ignoring warning messages for a few months now, but those messages are going to get more insistent as the deadline approaches. You can help them out by sending them a link to this article.

What does ‘end of support’ mean?

For nearly a quarter-century, Microsoft has had a formal policy of supporting each major operating system release for 10 years. Windows 10 was released in 2015, so its 10 years are up, as expected, in 2025.

The end date is right there on the Microsoft Support document that lists products retiring or reaching the end of support in 2025. Every retail edition of Windows, as well as the Enterprise and Education editions, is slated for retirement.

That schedule is defined by Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy, which is documented on the Microsoft Lifecycle page: “Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will remain in support with monthly security update releases through that date.” In a separate support article, Microsoft reiterates that as of October 14, 2025, it will no longer provide technical support or security and reliability fixes for PCs running Windows 10.

Also: How to upgrade an ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – 2 free options

When a Windows version reaches its end-of-support date, the software keeps working, but Windows Update stops delivering security and reliability fixes:

[There] will be no new security updates, non-security updates, or assisted support. Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service. Paid programs may be available for applicable products.

That part in the middle sounds encouraging, doesn’t it? “Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service.” Unfortunately, that’s not a supported option for customers running Windows 10 on hardware that doesn’t meet the stringent hardware compatibility requirements of Windows 11. If you try to upgrade one of those PCs to Windows 11, you’ll encounter an error message.

Also: Windows 11 should have been an easy upgrade – Microsoft chose to unleash chaos on us instead

That end-of-support deadline is not going to change. Neither are the hardware standards. If you’re responsible for one or more Windows 10 PCs that fail Microsoft’s Windows 11 compatibility tests, what should you do? You have five options.

1. Sign up for extended security updates

Do you remember the official support document that I quoted earlier? The one that says there will be “no new security updates” after Windows 10 reaches its end-of-support date? That’s not exactly true.

Microsoft will indeed continue developing security updates for Windows 10, but they won’t be free for everyone. Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for Windows 10 will be available on a subscription basis for up to three years.

How much are these paid-for updates going to cost? That depends.

If you’re an administrator at an educational institution with a deployment of Windows 10 Education edition, you’re in luck. Those extended updates will cost a mere pittance: $1 per machine for the first year, $2 for the second year, and $4 for the third and final year, taking you all the way to October 2028.

Also: I replaced my Microsoft account password with a passkey – and you should, too

IT pros who manage a fleet of business PCs aren’t so lucky and will need to pay dearly to stick with Windows 10. A license for the Extended Security Updates program is sold as a subscription. For the first year, the cost is $61. For year two, the price doubles, and it doubles again for year three. Do the math, and the cost is staggering: a three-year ESU subscription will cost $61 + $122 + $244, for a total of $427.

Consumers have the option to receive security updates for one additional year after the end-of-support date, with the deadline pushing out to October 2026. The list price for that subscription is $30 a year, but you can cut the cost to zero by using Microsoft Rewards points earned by using the Bing search engine or the Windows Backup tool. (For details, see How to get Windows 10 extended security updates for free: 2 options.) That’s a great deal compared to what business customers have to pay, but the consumer ESU subscription is only good for one year. At the end of that year, you’ll have an unsupported PC once again, so make sure you use that year to figure out your exit strategy.

2. Buy a new PC (or rent a virtual PC)

Microsoft and its partners would like you to replace that unsupported hardware with a new PC. You might even be tempted by one of the shiny new Copilot+ PCs, with their custom neural processing units, or maybe a powerful gaming PC. But throwing away a perfectly good computer seems wasteful, and it’s not an option if you’re hanging on to Windows 10 because you have mission-critical software or an expensive hardware device that’s incompatible with Windows 11.

Also: I never pay full price for PCs or Macs, thanks to these 7 money-saving tricks

You also have the option to rent a new virtual PC by signing up for Windows 365, which allows you to connect remotely to your own Windows 11-powered virtual PC in Microsoft’s cloud. A Windows 365 subscription works on Windows 10 and includes extended security updates for the host PC for up to three years. Windows 365 isn’t cheap (plans start at $28 a month), but that option probably costs less than a new PC.

For businesses, replacing a PC that is more than six years old is absolutely the correct option. Ask your CPA about depreciation deductions.

3. Upgrade your ‘incompatible’ hardware to Windows 11

That pesky compatibility checker might insist that you can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, but there are indeed documented ways to bypass those restrictions. You just have to jump through a few technical hoops. Frankly, if you have a PC that is less than 10 years old, this is the easiest, cheapest, and most reliable option.

Also: The 10 apps I can’t live or work without – on Windows, Mac, and mobile

You can find all the details in this article: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11. Here’s the short version:

For PCs originally designed for Windows 10 (basically anything designed in 2016 or later), you need to make one small registry edit and then ensure that your PC is configured to use Secure Boot with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) enabled. Even an old TPM 1.2 chip will do. As many readers have confirmed via email, this process works seamlessly as long as you’ve got those configuration details set properly. This option will work even with PCs that are 10 years old.

For older PCs originally designed for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you might need to use a third-party tool called Rufus to bypass installation challenges. That’s especially true on PCs that use a legacy BIOS instead of UEFI firmware and for those that don’t have access to a TPM. Make sure you have the most recent version of Rufus (version 4.6 or later) to work around Microsoft’s latest compatibility checks.

Those upgrade options can’t save a device whose CPU lacks support for two specific instruction sets — POPCNT and SSE 4.2. Most PCs built using Intel CPUs from 2009 or later will pass this test; AMD CPUs from 2015 or later should also be OK. As I note in this article, there is no workaround.

Also: How to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro – without overpaying

If you do use one of these upgrade hacks, don’t be alarmed by the threatening message you might see when trying to do an unsupported upgrade: “If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren’t covered under the manufacturer warranty.”

That’s deliberately misleading language from Microsoft. As I’ve noted before, that warning doesn’t really say that Microsoft is going to cut off your access to updates; it simply says your PC is no longer supported, and you’re no longer “entitled” to those updates. That word is a tell on Microsoft’s part, disclaiming legal responsibility without actually saying what it will do.

If you don’t want to mess with the registry and you’re willing to do a clean install, just use Rufus to create a bootable Windows 11 installation drive, which bypasses the compatibility checker completely. You’ll need to restore your data files from a backup or from the cloud, and you’ll also need to install your software from scratch, but that’s no more difficult than setting up a new PC.

4. Ditch Windows completely

You could keep your old hardware and replace Windows 10 with the flavor of Linux you prefer. If you’ve got the technical know-how and experience to manage the transition, that option is worth considering. Thanks to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and a million or so web-based services, you can do just about all your basic work in a web browser these days. You might not even notice what operating system is running that browser.

Switching to Google’s free ChromeOS Flex might also be possible, although the compatibility requirements for that alternative are just as likely to get in your way. I wrote about my experience here: Installing ChromeOS Flex? 5 things you need to do first to avoid headaches. As I pointed out, “If you’ve got an old PC or Mac and you’re thinking of installing ChromeOS Flex on it, don’t do anything until you check Google’s official ChromeOS Flex certified models list.”

Also: 6 most Windows-like Linux distros because old habits die hard

Pay special attention to the end-of-support date for the PC you’re thinking of upgrading. It doesn’t make much sense to replace Windows 10 with a release of ChromeOS Flex that’s also set to end support in 2025 or earlier.

Switching to Linux or some derivative of Linux might be a good way to repurpose an old PC. For consumers and businesses with existing investments in Windows software, it might not be a realistic alternative, but it’s worth considering.

5. Ignore the end-of-support deadline completely

You could do nothing at all — just continue running your unsupported operating system and hope for the best. That’s a bad idea that exposes you to the very real possibility that you’ll fall prey to a security exploit. Unfortunately, a lot of people are going to do just that. Some percentage of them will end up regretting their decision.

I’ve heard from some folks who believe that being extra careful and using third-party antivirus software will protect them from harm. I wouldn’t bet my business on that strategy.

Also: Stop paying for antivirus software. Here’s why you don’t need it

If you’re intent on doing so, consider installing the third-party 0patch agent to deal with any security issues that aren’t addressed by Microsoft. The free 0patch personal plan includes patches for known 0-day vulnerabilities, but if you want all Windows 10 patches, or if the PC is used for business or enterprise tasks, you’ll need to pay for a 0patch Pro plan at a per-PC rate of €24.95 per year — for customers in the US, at current exchange rates, that equates to less than $2.50 a month.

I wouldn’t recommend that for a PC that you use for business, but if you have a device you use for casual tasks at home, you might be willing to take the risk.

This article was originally published on Nov. 15, 2021, and is regularly updated to incorporate new information and advice.

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