Windows 10 has a year left to live – but are users prepared to upgrade to Windows 11?

Goodbye Windows 10. Hello, Windows 11?

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It’s official: after 10 years of noble service,Windows 10will reach its end on October 14, 2025, and what a great decade it’s been. For many users,Microsoftredeemed itself after a run of disappointingoperating systems– the mere mention ofWindows 8still sends some people into a rage – but Windows 10 got it right.

That’s why theannouncement of Windows 11came as a shock. It felt too soon, too rushed – and unnecessary. Many believed thatWindows 10deserved more time to marinate. At least until itfinally managed to migrate the whole Control Panel to Settings.

Jokes aside, Windows 10 made its mark with its support of legacy software, flexibility and its introduction of enhanced cloud integration in the form ofOneDrive, which made accessing your files from any internet-connected PC a breeze. Its regular security updates and long-term servicing channels (LTSC) made it especially popular with businesses.

Even now, many users haverefused to upgrade to Windows 11, because they are so satisfied with Windows 10.

But Microsoft announced that it wouldend support for Windows 10in June 2021. Once it ends, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates and technical assistance for it, and now that we have an actual date of October 14, 2025, the countdown to the end of Windows 10 has begun.

So, what are your options?

The Pros and cons of Windows 11

The most obvious option would be toupgrade to Windows 11–which should cost you nothing. Simple, right? Well, not quite. Why would you ever expect Microsoft to make things easy? You might groan, but there are some good reasons to upgrade toWindows 11:

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However, the biggest problem is that Windows 11 can’t run on older PCs – and by older we mean anything more than five years old. Your PC must have a compatible CPU and support forTrusted Platform Module (TPM)version 2.0. This has frustrated many users, as it means they are forced to upgrade their PC, which is an unwelcome extra expense, especially if your current PC is a very respectable old workhorse that should have a lot of life in it yet.

So, if your PC isn’t compatible with Windows 11, you have two options:

Extending Windows 10 support

This option will be more relevant for businesses and enterprises. If you’re a business or enterprise and need to continue using Windows 10, you have two options:

Change your operating system

The final option, albeit some might be reluctant to try it – is to switch to a different operating system altogether, such asChromeOS FlexorLinux.

Linux’s popularity appears to have increased recently. TheSteam Hardware Survey shows Linux’s share has climbed to 1.87%. That’s a pretty piddly percentage that looks a bit different when you consider it has for the first time brought Linux above macOS, which has 1.28%.

It may be that Microsoft’s recent decisions have prompted more people to migrate to Linux. It also might be mostly driven by theSteam Deck, whose OS (SteamOS) is based on Debian Linux.

On Linux you can do pretty much anything you can on Windows, including play AAA Windows games thanks toProton, a tool that offers a compatibility layer to enable Windows games to run on Linux. However, if you really must runAdobe PhotoshoporMicrosoft Wordand won’t settle forGIMPandLibreOffice, Linux probably isn’t for you.

ChromeOS Flex is an OS that you can install on to the machine you have, essentially turning it into aChromebook. It’s a more valid choice than some might admit. It really depends on what you do with your machine. If you play lots of games, if you make loads of art, you’ll not find a home on ChromeOS.

But for many of us, a great deal of what we do on a computer is in the web browser – and we’re not just talking about browsing your favorite website.GoogleDocs is there, and your email client. Probably all your photos and videos are already in the cloud as well.

Switching to ChromeOS Flex could also make older PCs run a lot faster due to the operating system being more lightweight (and thus less demanding on aging hardware) than Windows 10 – but it does come with sacrifices. As with Linux, not every Windows app has a version that can run on alternative operating systems, and that means you might not be able to use some of the programs you rely on – though there are usually open source alternatives that do similar things, but without the same amount of polish.

The final countdown begins…

So, with just under a year left of Windows 10, users will need to make a choice – but it’s not just customers that will be racing against the clock. Microsoft will also have its work cut out to ensure that none of its Windows 10 users are left high and dry with no support.

And, if it means making those users upgrade to Windows 11, then Microsoft will need to make that OS more appealing – after all, if people who hadn’t wanted to upgrade from Windows 10 are suddenly forced to, they won’t be happy.

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Rosario Blue is a writer, playwright, and freelance journalist.

She is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for Postcards for Peace.

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