Short answer: Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. Business computers still running it get no security fixes unless the business pays for Extended Security Updates (ESU), which cost US$61 per device for the first year, double each year after, and run for up to three years. The free consumer extension doesn’t help most businesses, because it isn’t offered on PCs joined to a company domain, joined to Microsoft Entra or managed with device-management tools. For most Surrey offices, the answer is to upgrade the computers that can run Windows 11 and plan replacements for the ones that can’t.
This guide sets out the dates, what each option costs, and a simple plan for getting a small office off Windows 10. Microsoft changes its programs from time to time, so we check its pages regularly and date this guide.
The Key Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 14 October 2025 | Windows 10 support ended: no more free security or quality updates, and no technical support from Microsoft |
| November 2025 | Year one of the paid business ESU program began |
| 12 October 2027 | Consumer ESU ends (extended from its original October 2026 date). Not available to most business-managed PCs |
| October 2028 | Business ESU reaches its three-year maximum |
| 10 October 2028 | Microsoft 365 Apps stop receiving security updates on Windows 10 |
Your Windows 10 computers won’t stop working on any of these dates. They’ll keep running, but every month that passes adds security holes that won’t be fixed, and more software vendors stop supporting the old system.
Why the Free Extension Doesn’t Cover Business PCs
Microsoft offers home users a consumer ESU option that is free if you sync your settings with Windows Backup, or costs 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or US$30. It now runs until 12 October 2027.
The catch for businesses: Microsoft says devices joined to Active Directory, joined to Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in a mobile device management (MDM) system are not offered enrollment. That describes most properly managed business computers. A laptop that’s only “registered” to Entra can still use it, as can a standalone PC, but relying on a home-user program for business machines leaves you with no management and no guarantee it stays available.
If your business PCs are standalone (no domain, no Entra join, no device management), that’s a sign they’re not being managed at all. That’s worth fixing as part of the move to Windows 11.
Option 1: Upgrade to Windows 11
If a computer meets Windows 11’s requirements, upgrading is usually the cheapest route. The upgrade itself is free for eligible Windows 10 PCs. The main requirements are:
- A supported 64-bit processor: roughly Intel 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 2000 series and newer
- TPM 2.0 (a security chip most business PCs from 2018 onward have, sometimes switched off in the firmware)
- UEFI firmware with Secure Boot
- At least 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage (8 GB or more is far more comfortable for business use)
In practice, most business computers bought from about 2019 onward qualify. We check each machine, switch on TPM and Secure Boot where they’re only disabled, back up the computer, and run the upgrade out of hours. Allow about an hour per machine, less when we do them in batches.
Option 2: Replace the Computer
Computers that don’t meet the requirements, or that are already five or six years old, are usually better replaced than kept alive. A new business laptop typically costs $1,000–$2,000, plus $125–$250 for setup, data transfer and Microsoft 365 sign-in. Spreading replacements over a few months keeps the spend manageable.
A useful order: replace the oldest and most important machines first (reception, accounts, anything holding client data), and keep the newest Windows 10 PCs that can’t upgrade on ESU for a year while you budget for the rest.
Option 3: Pay for Extended Security Updates
ESU buys time, not a fix. Businesses buy it through Microsoft volume licensing, per device, per year, and the device must be running Windows 10 version 22H2.
| ESU year | Price per device (US$) | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $61 | $61 |
| Year 2 | $122 | $183 |
| Year 3 | $244 | $427 |
ESU is cumulative: if you join in year two, you pay for year one as well. It covers critical and important security updates only, with no new features and no general technical support. For one or two machines running software that won’t work on Windows 11, it’s a reasonable bridge. For a whole office, the three-year total is close to the cost of a new computer, which is why most businesses use it sparingly.
Option 4: A Cloud PC
Microsoft includes ESU at no extra cost for Windows 10 virtual machines in services like Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, and Windows 10 devices connecting to Windows 365 Cloud PCs are entitled to ESU while the subscription is active. A Cloud PC streams a Windows 11 desktop to an older computer.
It can make sense for a few staff working on old hardware, or for a business already planning a move to the cloud. It’s a monthly subscription per user, so compare the cost over three years with simply replacing the computer.
What About Microsoft 365 on Windows 10?
Microsoft has said it will keep providing security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps (Word, Excel, Outlook and the rest) on Windows 10 until 10 October 2028, without new features. That keeps your Office apps patched, but it doesn’t patch Windows itself, which is where most attacks land. It’s not a reason to stay on Windows 10.
A Simple Plan for a Small Office
- List every computer. Who uses it, its age and model, and whether it runs Windows 10 or 11.
- Check eligibility. Run a compatibility check on each Windows 10 machine and note what fails.
- Fix the easy ones. Turn on TPM and Secure Boot where they’re only disabled, then upgrade.
- Price the rest. Replace the oldest first. Put ESU on any that must wait, for one year at a time.
- Check your software. Make sure accounting, practice-management and industry software support Windows 11 before upgrading those machines.
- Schedule it. Upgrades out of hours, new computers set up on the bench and swapped in one desk at a time.
Want us to do the check? Call 604-359-5284 or book a technician. We’ll list every computer, tell you which can upgrade, and price the rest.