{"id":22411,"date":"2025-01-06T18:08:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T13:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandligo.com\/?p=22411"},"modified":"2026-09-14T23:57:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:57:57","slug":"urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows 10 End of Support: What Businesses Should Do in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.<\/strong> Windows 10 PCs still run, but Microsoft no longer provides the normal technical support, feature updates, or security updates that organizations relied on during the supported lifecycle. For businesses still operating Windows 10 devices in 2026, the practical question is no longer whether end of support is coming; it is how to reduce risk while completing a controlled migration.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#What_Windows_10_end_of_support_means_in_2026\" >What Windows 10 end of support means in 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#Do_not_treat_ESU_as_a_permanent_migration_strategy\" >Do not treat ESU as a permanent migration strategy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#A_practical_Windows_10_migration_checklist_for_businesses\" >A practical Windows 10 migration checklist for businesses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#What_IT_and_procurement_teams_should_ask_before_replacing_PCs\" >What IT and procurement teams should ask before replacing PCs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#What_businesses_should_do_now\" >What businesses should do now<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/urgent-microsoft-update-alert-action-required-for-65-of-windows-users\/#Bottom_line\" >Bottom line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Windows_10_end_of_support_means_in_2026\"><\/span>What Windows 10 end of support means in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Microsoft says Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Devices can continue to function, but unsupported systems do not receive the normal stream of security fixes and technical assistance. That matters most for business endpoints that handle customer data, financial information, credentials, intellectual property, or access to internal systems.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft&#8217;s current guidance is to move eligible devices to Windows 11, replace hardware that cannot meet the requirements, or use the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/deployment\/updates-lifecycle\/windows-10-support-has-ended-on-october-14-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program<\/a> when more migration time is required.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_not_treat_ESU_as_a_permanent_migration_strategy\"><\/span>Do not treat ESU as a permanent migration strategy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Extended Security Updates can provide a temporary bridge for eligible Windows 10 systems, but they should not become the default long-term operating model. The purpose is to buy time for a controlled transition, not to remove the need for one.<\/p>\n<p>For each Windows 10 device, document why it is still required, what application or hardware dependency prevents migration, who owns the remediation plan, and the target replacement or upgrade date. This turns ESU from an open-ended exception into a managed risk decision.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_practical_Windows_10_migration_checklist_for_businesses\"><\/span>A practical Windows 10 migration checklist for businesses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Inventory every remaining Windows 10 endpoint.<\/strong> Include laptops, desktops, shared workstations, kiosks, lab systems, and devices managed outside the normal IT fleet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check Windows 11 eligibility.<\/strong> Separate devices that can be upgraded from hardware that needs replacement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Identify business-critical dependencies.<\/strong> Test line-of-business applications, peripherals, drivers, VPN software, endpoint security tools, and authentication workflows before broad deployment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prioritize by risk.<\/strong> Internet-facing systems, privileged-user devices, finance teams, administrators, and endpoints handling sensitive data deserve the earliest attention.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use ESU selectively.<\/strong> Reserve it for systems that genuinely need transition time and track an exit date for each exception.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Back up and validate recovery.<\/strong> Migration planning should include user files, application data, encryption keys, and a tested recovery path.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Retire unsupported hardware securely.<\/strong> Apply the organization&#8217;s data-destruction, asset-disposal, and device-recycling policies rather than leaving old machines unmanaged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_IT_and_procurement_teams_should_ask_before_replacing_PCs\"><\/span>What IT and procurement teams should ask before replacing PCs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A hardware refresh is not only a specification decision. Buyers should confirm operating-system support, warranty length, firmware-update policies, device-management compatibility, security capabilities, repairability where relevant, and the expected support period for the models being purchased.<\/p>\n<p>For larger estates, compare the cost of extending old hardware against the operational cost of maintaining exceptions. A cheaper short-term extension can become expensive when IT teams must support inconsistent security baselines, aging drivers, and fragmented deployment processes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_businesses_should_do_now\"><\/span>What businesses should do now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If Windows 10 devices remain in production, create a current inventory and classify every machine into one of three paths: upgrade to Windows 11, temporarily protect through an eligible ESU option, or replace the device. Assign an owner and deadline to every exception.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft also maintains current information about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/windows\/extended-security-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows 10 Extended Security Updates<\/a>. Check Microsoft&#8217;s latest eligibility and enrollment guidance before making procurement or security decisions because program terms and availability can change.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bottom_line\"><\/span>Bottom line<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Windows 10 end of support is now an active lifecycle-management issue rather than a future warning. Businesses should avoid unsupported endpoints where practical, use ESU only as a controlled bridge, and complete Windows 11 migration or hardware replacement based on application compatibility, security risk, and operational needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Here is what businesses should do in 2026: assess devices, use ESU where appropriate, migrate eligible PCs to Windows 11, and plan replacement for unsupported hardware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":22412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1713],"tags":[5984,5986,5982,5979,5988,5987,5981,5985,5980,5983],"class_list":["post-22411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technews","tag-critical-update","tag-microsoft-patch-update","tag-microsoft-security-update","tag-microsoft-update","tag-microsoft-windows-news","tag-software-vulnerability","tag-urgent-windows-alert","tag-windows-system-security","tag-windows-update-warning","tag-windows-users-action"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22413,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22411\/revisions\/22413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandligo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}