The coming October deadline changes the calculus for every IT leader: staying on Windows 10 beyond its end-of-support date will be expensive, risky, and—unless tightly scoped—likely more costly than a focused migration to Windows 11 or a modern cloud-based desktop strategy. Recent analysis from...
avd
azure virtual desktop
cloud desktops
compliance
device management
end of support
esu
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
it leadership
migration
nexthink
procurement
security
tco
telemetry
total cost of ownership
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop mainstream support for Windows 10 — a deadline that has pushed organizations into a tight strategic choice: upgrade to Windows 11, migrate to alternatives, or pay to keep critical security updates flowing. New modeling from digital employee experience...
application compatibility
budget forecasting
cio playbook
cloud activation
e-waste
end of support
esu pricing
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
intune
it strategy
migration planning
security compliance
tpm 2.0
vdi
virtualization
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
windows autopatch
Free security updates for many editions of Windows 10 end on October 14, 2025, and a raft of new vendor guidance and vendor-priced Extended Security Updates (ESUs) means companies that can’t—or won’t—move are facing a material, avoidable bill. A back-of-the-envelope model circulated by Nexthink...
azure virtual desktop
cloud entitlements
cloud pc
device inventory
driver remediation
employee experience
end of support
endpoint management
esu
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
it budgeting
licensing costs
migration planning
pilot testing
security risk
vendor guidance
windows 10
windows 11 migration
windows 365
Microsoft's message is blunt: Windows 10 will stop receiving official security and technical updates on October 14, 2025, and users who delay migration risk an increasing security, compliance, and operational exposure that will grow more dangerous with each month after the cutoff. What began as...
azure vdi
backup and rollback
bios update failures
cloud exemptions
cloud migration
compliance risk
consumer esu
cybersecurity risk
device management
driver lifecycle
enterprise esu
enterprise it
esu pricing
esu program
extended security updates
governance
hardwarerefreshhardware requirements
migration playbook
oem bios updates
risk management
secure boot
security risk
total cost of ownership
tpm 2.0
upgrade eligibility
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 11 migration
windows 11 upgrade
windows 22h2
windows 365
windows lifecycle
With the clock ticking toward Windows 10’s end of support on October 14, 2025, organisations that still treat migration as a planning exercise run a growing risk of being forced into costly, disruptive decisions at the worst possible moment; moving now from planning to implementation secures...
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autopilot
azure virtual desktop
backup and migration
change management
chromeos
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consumer esu
copilot
data backup
device readiness
end of support
endpoint security
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eol migration
esu
esu program
hardwarerefresh
hvci
intune
it modernization
linux desktop
microsoft account
pc health check
security updates
software compatibility
sustainability
tpm 2.0
upgrade to windows 11
vbs
windows 10
windows 10 end of life
windows 11
windows 365
Microsoft’s decision to stop issuing free security updates for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025 has forced IT leaders into a binary choice: pay to buy time, or accelerate an estate-wide migration to Windows 11 — and the short-term cost of staying on Windows 10 could be measured in billions for...
Nexthink’s warning that “sticking with Windows 10 could cost businesses billions” captured headlines for a reason: a simple arithmetic model — 121 million Windows 10 PCs multiplied by an enterprise Extended Security Update (ESU) list price of $61 per device — produces a first‑year bill in the...
StatCounter’s latest tracking shows Windows 11 has climbed to roughly the halfway mark of Windows desktop installs — a milestone that reflects accelerating migration away from Windows 10 as Microsoft’s October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support deadline approaches.
The headline numbers — what StatCounter...
august 2025
desktop market share
end of support
end of support date
esu
hardwarerefreshhardware requirements
it admins
microsoft
microsoft windows
migration
migration planning
october 14, 2025
oem preloads
os market share
pc health check
release health
sampling bias
secure boot
statcounter
steam hardware survey
tpm 2.0
upgrade readiness
web analytics
windows 10
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windows 11 24h2
windows 11 adoption
windows 7
windows migration
windows os market share
Microsoft’s last free security updates for Windows 10 come to an official stop on October 14, 2025, but the company has quietly opened a one‑year safety valve for consumers — a short, careful bridge that lets many stay on Windows 10 while they plan a permanent migration. The consumer Extended...
cloud pc
end of support
enrollment wizard
esu
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
microsoft rewards
migration planning
onedrive backup
secure boot
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
Microsoft has quietly turned up the volume on in‑OS upgrade prompts for Windows 10, and since the August 2025 update many users report seeing intrusive, full‑screen notifications urging them to move to Windows 11 — reminders that can reappear even after a user explicitly chooses to “Keep Windows...
end of support
enterprise it
esu
extended security updates
full screen overlay
hardwarerefresh
microsoft copilot
patch tuesday
secure boot
tpm 2.0
upgrade nags
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 11 upgrade
windows update
Microsoft has issued a fresh, time‑sensitive reminder: multiple Windows releases are reaching the ends of their servicing windows within the next few months, and the transition clock is now counting down in plain dates — not vague warnings. For millions of Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education and...
compliance
device inventory
end of servicing
enterprise it
esu consumer enrollment
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
home users
microsoft support policy
migration planning
os lifecycle dates
patch management
secure boot
security updates
tpm 2.0
windows 10 22h2 end of support
windows 11 22h2 end of updates
windows 11 23h2 end of updates
windows 365 cloud pc
windows upgrade paths
A Southern California resident has filed a state‑court lawsuit seeking to force Microsoft to continue issuing free security updates for Windows 10 beyond the company’s published end‑of‑support date of October 14, 2025, arguing that the scheduled cutoff is not just a routine lifecycle decision...
ai ecosystem
antitrust
california lawsuit
consumer protection
copilot
cybersecurity
device management
e-waste
end of support
esu program
hardwarerefresh
microsoft lifecycle
privacy concerns
san diego court
software lifecycle
unfair competition
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 esu
windows 11 upgrade
A Southern California resident has filed suit in San Diego Superior Court asking a judge to block Microsoft’s planned October 14, 2025 end-of-support for Windows 10 and to force the company to continue providing free security updates until Windows 10’s install base falls below a...
ai
ai hardware
anticompetitive
antitrust
caseanalysis
circular economy
consumer protection
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copilot
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copilot+ pcs
costofownership
cybersecurity
device lifecycle
digital equity
e-waste
electronic waste
end of life deadline
end of support
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environmental impact
esu
ewaste
extended security updates
generativeai
hardwarerefreshhardwareupgrade
lawsuit
lifecycle
lifecycle management
microsoft
microsoft account requirement
microsoft lifecycle
neural processing unit
older hardware
ondeviceai
os migration
pc migration
pc refurbishment
platformlifecycle
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privacy
public interest
regulation
regulatory
san diego superior court
sandiego
securityupdates
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tech policy
tpm 2.0
tpm2
uefi secure boot
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu
windows 11
windows 11 requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows os
windows security updates
windows10
windows11
A Southern California resident has asked a state court to stop Microsoft from turning off routine, free security updates for Windows 10 this October, arguing the company’s planned October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support amounts to forced obsolescence that funnels users toward Windows 11 and Microsoft’s...
ai devices ecosystem
ai strategy
antitrust competition
antitrust concerns
antitrust lawsuit tech
california consumer law
california consumer protection
clra
consumer esu
copilot
copilot ai
copilot ai integration
copilotplus
device compatibility
device lifecycle
digital inclusion
e-waste
e-waste concerns
end of support lawsuit
environmental impact
esu program
extended security updates
false advertising
forced obsolescence
forced upgrade debate
generative ai
hardware gating
hardwarerefresh
microsoft account
microsoft account requirement
microsoft windows 10
pc health check
platform policy
privacy concerns
san diego court
security updates
tech policy
tpm 2.0
uefi secure boot
unfair competition law
upgrade lawsuit
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu
windows 10 sunset
windows 11 hardware requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows market share 2025
Microsoft has quietly set an expiration date for Windows 11 SE — the slimmed-down, education-focused edition of Windows — announcing that the OS will receive no further feature updates or security patches after October 2026.
Background / Overview
Windows 11 SE was launched in 2021 as...
chromebooks
chromeos
chromeos flex
cloud pc
cybersecurity
data privacy
device inventory
device management
device refresh
education it
education technology
end of life
end of support
hardware lifecycle
hardwarerefresh
intune for education
it management
k-12
k-12 it
lifecycle policy
mdm intune
migration guide
october 2026
os lifecycle
procurement
school it
school it migration
security updates
surface laptop se
windows 10 esu
windows 11 education
windows 11 lifecycle
windows 11 migration
windows 11 pro
windows 11 se
windows 11 se end of life
windows 11 se end of support
windows 365
windows 365 cloud pc
Microsoft has made a clear, consequential distinction in the lifecycles of its platform and browser: Windows 10’s operating system support ends on October 14, 2025, but Microsoft Edge and the WebView2 runtime will continue to receive updates on Windows 10 (22H2) through at least October 2028 — a...
22h2
compliance
edge browser lifecycle
enterprise it
esu enrollment
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
hybrid apps
microsoft account
migration planning
os lifecycle vs browser lifecycle
patch management
procurement strategy
pwas
risk management
security updates
vendor support
webview2
windows 10 end of support
windows 11 upgrade
A single consumer’s courtroom challenge has transformed Microsoft’s planned Windows 10 sunset from a scheduled lifecycle event into a high-stakes debate about security, forced obsolescence, and how dominant platform vendors manage transitions to AI‑centric ecosystems. The complaint—filed in...
ai ecosystem
antitrust
cloud desktops
copilot
digital equity
e-waste
end of support
esu
extended security updates
forced obsolescence
hardwarerefresh
microsoft account
migration planning
privacy
public interest
security updates
tech policy
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
Microsoft’s countdown to the end of Windows 10 has moved from calendar reminder to courtroom headline, with a California plaintiff alleging that the company’s support wind‑down needlessly jeopardizes user data and is designed to push customers into an AI‑optimized hardware refresh—an accusation...
ai era
cloud pc
consumer privacy
cybersecurity
data security
e-waste
end of life
enterprise it
esu program
extended security updates
hardwarerefresh
legal lawsuit
microsoft
secure boot
security risk
software lifecycle
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
As the end of support for Windows 10 looms ever closer, organizations across the globe face a consequential decision point that will shape their digital infrastructure for years to come. With Windows 10 support scheduled to end on October 14, 2025, and over half of the world’s Windows desktop...
ai pcs
application compatibility
cloud adoption
cybersecurity
device upgrades
digital transformation
end-user computing
enterprise it
future-proof it
hardware architecture
hardwarerefresh
it channel
it migration
it resellers
microsoft windows
operational disruption
security compliance
technology strategy
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
For IT leaders and enterprise decision-makers, the looming end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, signals more than a mandatory operating system migration—it’s a catalyst accelerating one of the most ambitious hardware refresh cycles in recent history. Rather than viewing...
ai hardware
ai pcs
copilot plus
cybersecurity
dell technologies
device management
endpoint security
enterprise it
future of endpoint computing
hardwarerefresh
hybrid work
intel processors
it modernization
neural processing units
on-device ai
pc upgrade cycle
tech industry trends
windows 10 end support
windows 11
zero-trust security