Windows 10 Support Ending in 2025 Is It Time to Upgrade?

In 2025, a significant change is set to affect millions of users of the world’s most widely used operating system — Microsoft’s Windows 10.

With less than 10 months to go, Microsoft is officially ending support for the decade-old OS on October 14, 2025. This means Windows 10 will no longer receive updates for new features, bug fixes, or crucial security patches.

Microsoft is urging users with compatible devices to upgrade to Windows 11 to ensure their systems stay secure and function at their best.

Despite Windows 11 being available for over three years and generally receiving positive feedback, many Windows 10 users are either hesitant or unable to transition to the newer system.

Windows 10 has long been the most dominant operating system, holding a significant share of the market.

After the disappointing Windows 8 and its slight improvement, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 marked a major success for Microsoft. It attracted more than 200 million users in under five months after its launch in July 2015, more than double the number Windows 7 had gathered in the same time frame.

By early 2020, Windows 10 boasted over a billion active users, solidifying Microsoft’s leadership in the market.

According to GlobalStats Statcounter, Windows 10’s market share peaked at around 82.5% in December 2021, shortly after Windows 11’s release. Since then, its usage has steadily declined as Windows 11 gained traction.

However, as of 2024, Windows 10 remains the most widely used OS, with 62.7% of Windows users still running it, compared to 34.12% on Windows 11. Estimates from Forbes suggest Windows 10 still had around 800 million active users by December 2024, while Windows 11 had roughly 435 million users.

Interestingly, towards the end of 2024, Windows 10 saw a resurgence, partly due to Microsoft offering an affordable extended security update (ESU) for the older OS. For $30 (R556) per year, users can continue receiving critical security updates for Windows 10.

While the upgrade to Windows 11 is free for those with valid Windows 10, 8, or 7 product keys, many users have voiced concerns over the system’s higher hardware requirements.

Windows 11’s minimum specifications include:

• Processor: 1GHz or faster with two or more cores and 64-bit support
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB
• Security: TPM 2.0, UEFI firmware, Secure Boot
• Graphics: DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• Display: 720p or higher, 9-inch or greater size, 8 bits per color channel

The most notable barrier for many users is the TPM 2.0 requirement, a security feature embedded into the system’s motherboard or processor, crucial for Windows Hello and BitLocker protection. Many older processors, particularly Intel chips pre-2017 and AMD processors pre-2018, lack TPM 2.0 support, affecting even high-performance models like Core-i7, Core-i9, and Ryzen chips.

Though workarounds exist to bypass TPM 2.0, Microsoft has warned that doing so could result in potential instability and security vulnerabilities in Windows 11.

For desktop users, upgrading to a newer processor that supports TPM 2.0 is an option. However, laptop users with non-TPM 2.0 processors cannot simply swap out their CPUs and will likely need to purchase new machines altogether.

Fortunately, many budget laptops released since 2017, especially those using Intel’s Celeron N4000 series, support TPM 2.0. These models, which often come with Windows 11 pre-installed, are available in South African stores starting from R3,199.

If purchasing a new laptop is not feasible or if you are hesitant to leave Windows 10 behind, Microsoft’s ESU package may be your best bet. For R556 annually, you can continue receiving essential security updates, ensuring your older system remains protected.

Software News