Windows 10 End of Support Requires Immediate Action if You Haven’t Already Migrated to Windows 11
As of today – October 14, 2025 – Windows 10 has officially reached end of support. That means today’s if you are still using Windows 10, you have reached your final Patch Tuesday unless you avail of Extended Security Updates. Your PC may keep working just fine tomorrow, but the risk using it are immediately compounding from here on out.
What you need to do, is either register for ESUs or move to a supported Operating System. If you are ready this, chances are the latter option is a challenge for you, otherwise you would likely already made the move to Windows 11.
Which means, you need to register for ESUs.
There has been a reprieve for some individual consumers, with the European Economic Area receiving free ESUs for 1 year due to regional regulatory requirements. Consumers elsewhere can also get free ESUs by access their Windows 10 22H2 desktops with a Microsoft account and enabling the Windows Backup feature. Alternatively, consumers can use 1,000 Microsoft Reward points to purchase 1 year of ESUs but while these options are not available for enterprises, there are some ways for enterprises to get FREE ESUs which will be covered in this blog post.
However, this does not apply to enterprise IT teams.
Enterprise Options for Windows 10 End of Support
If you are still managing Windows 10 devices in your corporate environment, here are your options:
1. Migrate to Windows 11
- Enterprises should prioritize moving supported devices to Windows 11.
- Organizations should identify incompatible hardware and replace with a supported device.
- Legacy applications which do not work natively on Windows 11 should be containerized and delivered to the new OS.
- This keeps endpoints within compliance frameworks and ensures compatibility with modern management and security features.
2. Leverage Windows 365
- Those who subscribe to Windows 365 Cloud PCs and access via a Windows 10 22H2 client device can get free ESUs on said client desktop.
- By containerizing applications, enterprises can manage applications seamlessly across all virtual and physical Windows desktops including those Cloud PCs.
3. Purchase Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU)
- ESU is available for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. With prices for education at a significantly reduced rate.
- Organizations can purchase ESU licenses through volume licensing, CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) partners, or directly through Microsoft.
- Like with Windows 7 before it, the cost of ESUs increases each year, providing a financial incentive to move to Windows 11 sooner rather than later.
- Microsoft states Windows 10 ESUs are available at no additional cost when running Windows 10 22H2 on certain virtual machines via Azure including in the following platforms:
- Azure Virtual Desktop
- Azure Virtual Machines
- Azure Dedicated Host
- Azure VMware Solution (includes Citrix and Omnissa Horizon on Azure VMware Solution)
- Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure
- Azure Local
- Azure Stack Hub
- Azure Stack Edge
The Reality Regarding Timelines for Windows 10 EOS Solutions
Here’s the truth about timing in your current situation and key takeaways:
- Today (October 14, 2025): You have the latest security patches installed if you run Windows Update.
- From now until the next Patch Tuesday (November 2025): You’ll still be relatively safe on those last patches. Though, theoretically there could be a security issue shortly after the last Patch Tuesday that may not be addressed for those not registered for ESUs.
- It’s Time to Address Dated Hardware: You need to identify incompatible hardware and plan to swap it out.
- You Need to Modernize Application Management: Dated application package formats and management solutions are an obstacle to agility. By containerizing applications now, you can bring forward legacy applications to any modern physical or virtual Windows desktop. This provides the agility you need to move to any future Windows OS and desktop type as required now or in the future. If you need to move from a physical desktop to an Azure hosted desktop to get those free ESUs, you can. If you want to adopt Windows 365 and accelerate adoption with little custom image work, you can.
Final Thoughts on Windows 10 End of Support
Windows 10 has been one of Microsoft’s longest-lived and most popular operating systems. Unfortunately, its time is up. Whether you’re a home user or an IT admin, inaction is the riskiest option.
- Consumers: Upgrade, buy new hardware, or subscribe to ESUs.
- Enterprises: Begin migrations, plan for app compatibility, and use ESUs strategically –not indefinitely.
Security is a moving target. Staying on supported operating systems is the only way to remain protected.
Want to Lift and Shift All Your Apps to Windows 11 (and beyond)?
Our team of Windows experts and deployment engineers have been helping organizations containerize their applications to maximize application portability across all modern Windows OS and endpoints – including Windows 11, Windows on Arm, Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and more.
Contact them below to see how containerization can simplify and accelerate your Windows 10 end of support modernization initiatives: