Windows 10 has reached end of support (EOS) today, October 14, 2025, but the operating system is still running on hundreds of millions of devices.
With Windows 10 reaching EOS, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates, technical support, or security patches.
PCs running Windows 10 will continue to work, but they will become increasingly vulnerable to malware and other cyberattacks as new threats emerge and no patches are released.
For users who cannot immediately upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft has launched the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.
In order to enroll into the ESU program and get important security updates until October 13, 2026, consumers will be charged $30, while commercial organizations will have to pay $61 per device. The price will double each year for organizations that want ESU for up to three years.
Individuals can also get extended security updates free of charge by using Windows Backup to sync their settings to the cloud, or by redeeming 1,000 Microsoft rewards points, which users earn for engaging with Microsoft products and services, such as Bing, Xbox and Microsoft Store.
In addition, Microsoft announced recently that ESU will be free for users in the European Economic Area (EEA).
It’s unclear how many users will opt for ESU, but a large number of devices will likely become increasingly vulnerable to attacks in the next months as Windows 10 still appears to have a market share of at least 40%, as reported recently by several third-party companies.
Statcounter data for September 2025 showed that while Windows 11 had been running on nearly half of desktop machines, Windows 10 was also still installed on just over 40% of devices.
An analysis conducted by remote access and support giant TeamViewer showed that more than 40% of global endpoints that recently received support via its software had been running Windows 10. TeamViewer’s analysis — based on 250 million remote support connections — showed that Windows 11 had been running on 47% of devices.
Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has also analyzed data collected from its customers and found that only 33% have upgraded to Windows 11 and 53% are still using Windows 10. Moreover, in the case of corporate users, Windows 10 is still present on nearly 60% of systems.
Data shared by Microsoft in recent years puts the number of Windows users at well over one billion, which means hundreds of millions of computers are still running Windows 10.
On the other hand, many organizations may be in the process of upgrading their devices. IDC reported last week that PC shipments during the third quarter of 2025 increased 9.4% compared to the prior year (global volumes reached 75.8 million units), and the surge is at least partly fueled by the transition to Windows 11.
“Updating or decommissioning every endpoint is a major task, especially for larger enterprises,” said Jon Abbott, CEO and co-founder of ThreatAware. “Upgrading raises concerns about system reliability, prompting some organisations to delay migration until they are confident that critical systems will run smoothly.”
Abbott pointed out that while ESU is a viable temporary solution, “In the long term, organisations must ensure that every Windows 10 device within their IT estate is either updated or decommissioned.”
“Effective discovery requires consolidating data from sources such as Active Directory, SCCM, Intune and help desk logs, as well as identifying unmanaged BYOD and home-office PCs through agentless scanning. Only with comprehensive, up-to-date visibility can IT teams correctly prioritise assets and avoid unpleasant surprises mid-migration,” Abbott explained.
He added, “Once the full scope of the challenge is understood, the next step is to set priorities. Not all endpoints merit equal urgency. Teams with Windows 10 devices handling sensitive data under GDPR, SOX or PCI-DSS should move to the front of the queue.”
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