The world is no less confusing for Microsoft’s 700 million Windows 10 users than it was before its emergency u-turn. Yes, support has been extended for a year, pushing the cliff edge from October 2025 to October 2026, but there are plenty of catches.
Some of these relate to updates for software running on Windows 10 after this year’s October 14 deadline. And some relate to the costs in snagging the “free” 12-month security update extension. But the main catch is the heightened security risks.
Microsoft has emphasized the risks in remaining on Windows 10 with the same vigor as the benefits in moving to Windows 11. As all users must know by now, the reason there’s such a furor about this upgrade is the TPM security hurdle PCs must meet to be eligible.
This rules out hundreds of millions of PCs, despite occasional suggestions that some of those machines may be upgraded anyway. For most users the upgrade still means buying a new PC, ideally — Microsoft says — a new Copilot+ PC steeped in AI.
As I have pointed out, Microsoft u-turned on Windows 10’s hard red line at just the wrong time, just as Windows 11 caught and has since overtaken Windows 10 for the first time. It would — in my view — have been better to limit its free extension to just the users that can’t update current PCs and need more time to buy something new.
The risk is that the accelerating progress slows or reverses, simply delaying rather than resolving the problem. And the early signs suggest this may indeed be the case.
The early data from Statcounter this month suggests Windows 11 is already seeing some of its gains against Windows 10 start to reverse. While this data is just illustrative, it makes sense given the removal of October’s red line.
This means 45% of all Windows users are now on the soon-to-be-retired version of the OS and at risk. Had the accelerating upgrades to Windows 11 for eligible PCs continued unabated, that 45% at risk number may have been halved. That’s hundreds of millions of users that would have been more secure, as Microsoft makes very clear.
Whichever of Microsoft’s options you pick — including the free Windows 11 upgrade if available, don’t run out of time. At a minimum take the 12-month security extension. Make sure that come October 14 you’re not off support.