On 14th October 2025, Windows 10 was discontinued. What that means for IT support staff and the hundreds of millions of computer users still reliant on it can vary dramatically depending on location, hardware and the capability and willingness to update.
The term “End of Life” can be rather alarming, as can the idea that a piece of software you are actively using is being discontinued. It ultimately did not mean that as soon as the clock struck midnight, Windows 10 would be immediately deleted or replaced by Windows 11.
This is particularly true for users in the European Union or home users who subscribed to the Extended Security Updates programme, who will still be able to use their current setup as normal for at least the next year.
However, it is important to know what discontinuing an operating system means, what it does not mean and why it needs to be a wake-up call to start planning your future in the short term and the far future.
What Does Discontinued Mean With Computer Software?
A lot of the language surrounding computer software, particularly terms such as discontinued and “end of life” (EoL), can create a degree of concern and alarm, but it is important not to worry. When the clock strikes midnight on the EoL date, your software, data and computer can still be used and accessed.
What discontinued, end of life or end of support (EoS) means is that from this date on, the piece of software will not receive any updates.
In some cases, this simply means no new features, but there will be security and quality of life (QoL) updates, which improve the overall experience but are not necessarily new features, whilst in other cases, the end of support means the end of all support. The application on the EoS date is how it will be from now until the end of time.
In the case of a discontinued operating system, you will be able to turn on the computer and do anything you could previously do with it, but there will be no new updates, and you will likely be strongly advised to upgrade.
Should You Be Concerned About Discontinued Software?
It must be noted that whilst the alarmist articles about the end of Windows 10 are somewhat unhelpful, they do highlight a valid concern both for individual businesses and at a higher level for Microsoft itself.
An operating system at an EoL stage will still work, but it is left as is, and if there are any remaining security vulnerabilities, they will be there forever unless there is an emergency patch or a third-party company produces a fix.
In theory, therefore, if you have a highly robust security system that does not rely on Windows’ own systems, such as Defender, or you only use a discontinued operating system offline, it can sometimes be okay to continue to use it, although it is essential to talk to IT experts before you rely on this.
In practice, the big concern is that your system will have potential exploits that a bad actor could use to access your system, steal data or run potentially seriously harmful code, with little recourse from Microsoft itself if you require a fix.
The consequences of this can range from frustrating and expensive in terms of time and resources, to potentially opening the doors to legal liability and higher ICO penalties.
Over time, the risk will increase as hackers and malware designers get a greater understanding of the limitations of the final version of Windows 10 for many people.
What Should Your Next Steps Be?
What makes this particular EoL stage so difficult is that many people will struggle to see the need to upgrade either their software or their hardware, despite it opening the doors to potential security risks.
The simplest next step is to arrange a system upgrade to Windows 11, coordinating with your IT support partners to ensure that every server and device with access to your system receives the latest updates in a timely manner.
However, not everyone can upgrade directly, either because their older computer does not meet the system specifications or because it lacks the Trusted Platform Module that is a requirement to run Windows 11.
You can arrange a hardware upgrade for any incompatible hardware, but this can be expensive if you are used to a rolling upgrade schedule.
Finally, if you are unhappy with Windows, there are alternative office operating systems that could be used instead, such as ChromeOS or Linux, but that will depend on whether you and your team are happy to make such a substantial change.