Windows 10 End of Life (EOL) is rapidly approaching, scheduled for October 14th, 2025. When this date comes, Windows 10 will stop receiving all updates, including security and feature updates. Although mainstream support is ending, Microsoft does offer Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10, which will allow certain updates to continue for Windows 10 for up to three years after the EOL date.
What Updates Are Included In Windows 10 ESU (Extended Security Updates)?
ESU only includes Critical and Important Security updates as defined by Microsoft. This includes only portions of the Operating System that are impacted, but this does not include quality updates or bug fixes to issues in the operating system.
This also does not include updates to software not directly related to the Operating System, which will gradually lose support as time goes on past EOL.
Why Update?
Although the ESU will be available, it is not meant to be a permanent solution, but rather a temporary solution to allow time to update systems to Windows 11. The ESU will only be available for three years after the EOL date; after this, there will be no updates for Windows 10.
It is recommended that systems are moved off Windows 10 as soon as possible. Although there is a product that is offered to continue security updates, there is no guarantee on how fast or how well the updates will work at patching security issues that are discovered. Since mainstream support is ended, so will mainstream development, and it has been seen in other ESU offerings that there can be a considerable lag time in patch development, testing, and a push to production. This leaves your environment vulnerable until the patch is released. This offering is a “best effort” offering by Microsoft, but their intent is to get people off of Windows 10 and move to Windows 11.
Additionally, as Operating Systems go EOL, 3rd party software will stop supporting or patching versions that run on Windows 10 since they are no longer in mainstream support.
Special Devices:
In some instances, it is not possible to update systems quickly, or the operating system is locked based on software dependency or support. In these cases, there is another option that should be reviewed. This is the Long-term Servicing Channel, which is specifically designed for specialized systems such as medical systems, point-of-sale systems, or any other device that requires a longer servicing option because of their purpose.
This is not a valid option for all PCs in an environment and should only be used for specialized equipment.
Other Considerations On Windows 10 ESU:
Although you will still be receiving some of the security updates using the ESU for Windows 10, this does not mean that certain governing bodies will allow this as an acceptable solution. Compliance requirements often exclude ESUs as a valid long-term solution for compliant environments without special cases. Having EOL operating systems adds the increased burden of ensuring that your environment can pass new audits by the respective governing bodies.
In the short term, this means ensuring approved compensating controls are in place to protect the systems, but in the long term, this means managing those controls and explaining your environment to auditors to remain compliant.
Conclusion:
The end of Windows 10 is near, which means it is time for a lot of businesses to decide on how they are going to go into this next phase of support: use an ESU or update to Windows 11. In the short term, it may make sense to use the ESU, but this is not a valid long-term solution. Although the cost on paper is likely lower than what it would be to replace a system, this is only a temporary solution, and every year for the next three years you will pay for this solution—only needing to replace the computer at the end anyway.
Need help planning your upgrade? Check out our other resources or call one of our technology experts.
- What Are the Risks of Staying on Windows 10 After its End Of Life?
- Preparing for Windows 10 End of Life in 2025: A Guide for Businesses
