Windows 10 Bu-Bye?

Windows 10 Bu-Bye? a reader asks…

I still have a Windows 10 computer I’m using for day-to-day work. Now that Windows 10 is kaput, am I at risk?

In a word, yes. As of October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide updates for Windows 10 (see caveat below). This has been well-publicized for over a year now. There is a free upgrade path to Windows 11 if your current PC is compatible, but most PCs that are over five years old won’t have the necessary security hardware built in. Right now, your risk is minimal, but it will increase significantly in the near future.

That’s because hackers and scammers continue to find and exploit vulnerabilities in all software. As time goes on, the lack of software developers discovering and patching those vulnerabilities means that at some point, your data and your digital identity will be subject to theft or worse. I would expect that within the next six months, Windows 10 computers will commonly become victims of malware and possibly be dragged into a botnet to serve the purposes of some hacker. It is well past time for you to consider upgrading your computer. That said, you don’t actually have to – yet. Read on!

Now for the caveat: Microsoft is willing to extend the basic security updates for your Windows 10 computer for up to a year (through October 13, 2026). There are three ways you can get this extended coverage:

1. Pay Microsoft $30 US plus tax for the extension of service,
2. Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points (earned in various ways), or
3. At no additional cost if you are syncing your PC Settings to your Microsoft account (see below).

See this Microsoft support article for more information. I should note that the article has a link for #3 above. However, this only takes you to the Microsoft “Back up and restore with Windows Backup” page, and that page has nothing about getting the extension of support.

Looking online elsewhere, it appears there’s a way to enroll in extended security updates for free by going to Settings > Windows Update and clicking the “Enroll in extended Security Updates” link. Look for an “Enroll Now” link and click it, then follow the on-screen instructions.

To get this for free, you’ll need a Microsoft account (you may already have one, especially if you use MS 365). If you don’t have one, you can easily create a free account on the Enroll Now page. Note: this changes your user account from a “Local account” to a “Microsoft account”.

If you a) don’t want to upgrade to Windows 11 now, and b) don’t want to give all your information to Microsoft, you can create a Microsoft account and perform the initial backup, then turn off all the backup settings and revert your computer back to a local user account. Rather than try to outline all the steps here, I’d suggest you watch this 15-minute video from one of my favorite sources of information:

There’s no guarantee that Microsoft will continue to allow this workaround over the next year, so you are taking a bit of a risk continuing to use Windows 10 beyond its service life. That said, I should mention that even if you are using Windows 11 or Windows 10 with extended support, your biggest risk has always been — and will continue to be — yourself and your computer usage habits.

The threats are still out there and are actively trying to compromise your digital life. Some general guidelines are in my article Safe Digital Life.

By now, you should know that you must install updates to your operating system and all installed software as those updates are released. Failing to do that puts you at risk for the many ‘zero-day’ exploits that happen constantly. But not only that, you need to practice good computer use hygiene. Scams, malware, and hacks are a constant threat and you need to be a knowledgeable computer user to avoid falling victim to the bad guys. Don’t click on anything you aren’t 100% sure are safe, don’t respond to so-called urgent messages from email, text, or phone (they’re virtually all fake), don’t give remote access to your computer, don’t give anyone access to your bank account or financial information, and remain suspicious of everything online.