# Windows 10 Support Ended: What a Small Office Should Do > Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. What that means for office PCs, which can move to Windows 11, what ESU costs, and a one-afternoon plan. - Web page: https://sporesec.com/en/blog/windows-10-end-of-support-small-office - Language: English - Last updated: 2026-10-17 - Also in עברית: https://sporesec.com/he/blog/windows-10-end-of-support-small-office.md ## Answer Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. What that means for office PCs, which can move to Windows 11, what ESU costs, and a one-afternoon plan. - By Mahdy Lorens Gribkov - Published: 2026-07-08 - Revised: 2026-10-17 - IT, 6 min read - Keywords: Windows 10 end of support small business, Windows 10 ESU cost, upgrade to Windows 11 office, Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement, office PC replacement plan Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. Your office PCs still start and still run, but Microsoft no longer ships security fixes, feature updates or technical support for them. The sound plan for a small office has three parts: move every PC that qualifies to Windows 11, replace the ones that cannot move, and, only where a PC must stay on Windows 10 for a while, pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU) as a bridge. Below is what ended, what the bridge costs, how to tell which PCs can move and a one-afternoon plan to sort the whole office. ### What exactly ended on 14 October 2025? Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support FAQ says that Microsoft no longer provides software updates, security fixes or technical assistance for Windows 10 PCs. The ESU documentation lists what stopped: technical support, feature updates or new features, and quality updates, including security and reliability fixes. The PCs do not stop working. The same FAQ says they continue to function, but without regular security updates they are "more vulnerable and susceptible to viruses and malware". It also answers the obvious shortcut: antivirus software helps, but "it's not enough on its own", because without security updates from Microsoft the operating system itself stays exposed. ### What are the options for each PC? 1. **Upgrade it to Windows 11,** if it is eligible. Microsoft's FAQ says an eligible PC can upgrade for free through Windows Update. 2. **Replace it,** if it is not eligible or is due for replacement anyway. Buy the new PC with Windows 11, and use the purchase to set one standard for every machine. 3. **Enroll it in ESU for a limited time,** if it cannot be moved yet. This is a paid bridge and not a plan. 4. **Do nothing.** It works, and the risk grows with every month. This is the option to rule out in writing. ### Which PCs can move to Windows 11? Microsoft's Windows 11 requirements (the Microsoft Learn page as captured on 10 June 2026) list the minimum hardware: - A processor of 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores, on a compatible 64-bit processor. - 4 GB of memory or more, and 64 GB or more of available storage. - System firmware that is UEFI and Secure Boot capable. - TPM (Trusted Platform Module) version 2.0. - A DirectX 12 compatible graphics card with a WDDM 2.0 driver, and a display of 720p or better, 9 inches or larger. To upgrade directly, the PC must also run Windows 10 version 2004 or later with the 14 September 2021 security update or later installed. The page adds that Windows 11 Home needs an internet connection and a Microsoft account for first-time setup. The TPM and Secure Boot lines are what rule out most older office PCs. A PC that fails on memory or storage can sometimes be fixed with an upgrade, but a PC that fails on the processor list or on TPM usually means replacement. Ask your PC manufacturer or a hardware specialist before you spend money on parts. ### What does ESU cost, and who can buy it? The ESU program for organizations, according to Microsoft Learn (page updated 17 November 2025), is a paid program that lets PCs keep receiving critical and important security updates after end of support. The facts to plan around: - **Price.** It can be purchased through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program at 61 US dollars per device for Year One. The price doubles every consecutive year, for a maximum of three years, which means 122 dollars in Year Two and 244 dollars in Year Three, by that rule. - **Cumulative.** ESU is bought by the year. If you buy in Year Two you must pay for Year One too. - **Prerequisite.** The PC must run Windows 10 version 22H2. - **Limits.** ESU covers security updates only: no new features, and no general technical support, only help with activating and installing ESU itself. There is also a consumer program: individuals can enroll for 30 US dollars, or free if they sync PC settings, or with 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, and it provided updates through 13 October 2026, so it has ended. Microsoft's page says the consumer program "can't be used in commercial scenarios", and enrollment is not offered for devices joined to an Active Directory domain or Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in device management. An office PC belongs in the commercial program. Multiply it for your own office: devices that must stay, times 61 dollars, and compare with replacing those devices. Microsoft prices ESU in US dollars, so add the exchange rate and any tax to the budget. ### What about Microsoft 365 and Office on Windows 10? Microsoft's FAQ says Microsoft 365 Apps keep working on a Windows 10 device, and that Microsoft will continue providing security updates for Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 for three years after end of support, ending on 10 October 2028. It still recommends upgrading to Windows 11 to avoid performance and reliability issues over time. The same FAQ says Office 2021 and Office 2024 keep running on Windows 10 but no longer receive support. That makes the Office update safe for a while; it does not make the operating system safe. ### What is the one-afternoon plan? 1. **List every PC.** Name, user, age, Windows version, memory, storage and whether it has TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Microsoft's requirements page points to tools that check whether a PC is eligible. 2. **Sort them into three piles:** can upgrade now, should be replaced, needs a bridge. 3. **Check the prerequisites first.** For ESU the PC must be on Windows 10 version 22H2. For the upgrade it needs the September 2021 update or later. 4. **Back up before you touch anything.** An upgrade is a change to a working machine. If you have never restored from your backup, test one restore first. 5. **Write the dates down.** Which PCs move by which date, and who signs off each one. ### How do we help? A device list, one standard setup, disk encryption, updates and a replacement plan are what our [devices and security baseline](https://sporesec.com/en/services/devices-endpoints) service covers, priced per scope after a short call. [Book a free intro call](https://sporesec.com/en/book) with your PC list and we will sort it into the three piles with you. ### Sources - [End of support for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7, Microsoft Windows](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-of-support), page as captured by Common Crawl on 18 June 2026. - [Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10, Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates), page updated 17 November 2025, text unchanged in a Common Crawl capture of 18 April 2026. - [Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU), Microsoft Windows](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates), page as captured by Common Crawl on 13 June 2026. - [Windows 11 requirements, Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-requirements), page as captured by Common Crawl on 10 June 2026. ## Questions and answers ### Do Windows 10 PCs still work after 14 October 2025? Yes, they continue to function, but Microsoft no longer provides security fixes, feature updates or technical support, which leaves them more exposed to malware over time. Antivirus helps but, Microsoft says, is not enough on its own without operating system security updates. ### What does Windows 10 ESU cost for a business? Microsoft Learn (updated 17 November 2025) lists 61 US dollars per device for Year One through volume licensing. The price doubles each consecutive year for up to three years, and ESU is cumulative, so buying in Year Two means paying for Year One as well. ### Can a small office use the cheaper consumer ESU? Microsoft says the consumer program cannot be used in commercial scenarios, and it is not offered for devices joined to a domain or Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in device management. It also ran only to 13 October 2026, so it has ended. 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