Windows 10 End of Life live: everything you need to know

Today, October 14, 2025, is the day Windows 10 enters its End of Life phase, which means Microsoft will no longer officially support the operating system - which means it'll no longer get new features, bug fixes or security patches.

Despite being over 10 years old, there are still millions of PC users using Windows 10, and Microsoft is understandably keen to get people to move to Windows 11. If you're still using Windows 10, you'll have likely been bombarded with notifications encouraging you to upgrade.

It's not just Microsoft that wants you to stop using Windows 10 - rival companies like Apple have sensed an opportunity to win over Windows 10 users looking to buy a new device.

This can all lead to a rather confusing time for Windows 10 users about what risks there are to sticking with Windows 10, and what your next move should be. Never fear, however, as we're here to help.

Our Windows 10 End of Life guide gathers together all the information you need - including a free built-in tool that can help you figure out if you're able to upgrade your current device to Windows 10 (and what to do if you cannot upgrade). We are also running this live blog throughout the day with expert opinion, tips, and more, to help make Windows 10's End of Life as easy to understand as possible.

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But what happens if your PC cannot install Windows 11? Don't worry, you still have a few options.

An easy, but expensive, choice to is to buy a new laptop with either Windows 11, macOS, ChromeOS or Linux installed.

Windows 10's End of Life doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune, however. We've put together a guide on buying a cheap Windows 11 laptop that will help you find a bargain.

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The good news is that if you're using Windows 10, you'll be able to install Windows 11 for free. If that's the case, then today should hopefully be quite a stress-free (and cheap) day - just visit our guide on how to install Windows 11.

You can check to see if your PC is able to run Windows 11 using our free tool - just answer the questions and you'll get upgrade advice.

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Above, you'll see what the Windows 11 Start menu looks like. If you're not a fan, you can tweak to to appear more like Windows 10's Start menu.

It's certainly more familiar than going to macOS if you switch to a Mac or MacBook, though to be honest, you get pretty used to the macOS way of doing things pretty quickly, with the new Apps window (which replaces the old Launchpad tool), acting in a similar way to the Start menu.

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Having used both, I do think that Windows 11 is similar enough to Windows 10 that it shouldn't be too much of a culture shock for users who upgrade.

However, there are noticable changes, for example with the Start menu, which is now placed in the center of the taskbar, rather than at the left, where it's resided since Windows 95.

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To get you started, check out our guide on the key differences between Windows 11 and Windows 10.

For many people still using Windows 10, the easiest thing to do is to move to Windows 11, but how similar are the two operating systems?

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Hello, and welcome to our Windows 10 End of Life live blog. Today is the day that Microsoft stops supporting its decade-old operating system, and I'm here to help clear up any confusion and misconceptions that people might have.