If your computer is still running Windows 10, you've been going without security updates for close to a year now.
The short version: Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 in October 2025. Your computer still turns on and still works — nothing broke that day and nothing will. But it stopped receiving the security patches that fix newly discovered vulnerabilities. Every month that passes, the list of known holes nobody is fixing on your machine gets a little longer.
That's not a reason to panic. It is a reason to make a decision this year rather than putting it off again.
What actually changed
Nothing you can see, which is exactly why it's easy to ignore. Windows 10 didn't stop working, your programs didn't stop opening, and you probably didn't notice a thing.
What stopped is maintenance. When a new security flaw is found in Windows 11, Microsoft patches it and the fix goes out to everyone. When one is found that affects Windows 10, there's no patch coming. Over time that gap widens, and the machines still running it become a more attractive target precisely because attackers know they'll stay unpatched.
There's a second, slower problem: software makers gradually stop supporting old operating systems too. Browsers, antivirus, banking apps, and printer drivers all eventually drop support for a system Microsoft has abandoned. That's the point where things genuinely start breaking.
Your options
There are three honest paths, and which one fits depends mostly on your computer's age.
1. Upgrade to Windows 11 (free, if your PC qualifies). If your computer meets the requirements, upgrading is free and is the simplest answer. Windows 11 has fairly strict hardware requirements — machines from roughly 2018 onward usually qualify, and older ones often don't. You can check on your own machine in Settings, under Windows Update; it'll tell you whether it's eligible.
2. Replace the computer. If your PC doesn't qualify and it's already seven or eight years old, this is often the right call — you were approaching that decision anyway. If you go this route, the transfer and setup matters more than the purchase: getting your files, email, and passwords moved over cleanly is where people lose things.
3. Keep running Windows 10 carefully. Not ideal, but realistic for some people. If you're going to do this, at minimum: keep a real antivirus running, keep your browser updated (browsers still get updates for now), be extra skeptical of email attachments and pop-ups, and make sure you have a working backup. Understand that this is a stopgap, not a solution.
The middle path a lot of people miss
Here's the one worth knowing about. If your computer does qualify for Windows 11 but feels too slow to bother upgrading, the slowness and the upgrade are often the same fix. An SSD upgrade on a machine that still has an old spinning hard drive transforms how it performs — and a computer that's eligible for Windows 11 and gets an SSD is usually good for several more years at a fraction of replacement cost.
So before you write off an older-but-eligible machine, it's worth finding out whether what's making it slow is fixable. Plenty of "I need a new computer" situations are really "I need a $150 upgrade" situations.
One warning
Expect scams around this. The end of Windows 10 support has been widely publicized, which makes it perfect bait — pop-ups and emails warning that your computer is "unprotected" and urging you to call a number or install something. Microsoft doesn't work that way. If you see a pop-up with a phone number to call, it's the scam, not the problem.
Not sure where you stand?
If you don't know whether your computer can run Windows 11, or whether it's worth upgrading versus replacing, that's a quick thing to check and I'll tell you straight — including when the honest answer is that your machine has had a good run. I can handle the upgrade, the SSD swap, or a full setup and transfer to a new computer, in your home anywhere around Bucks County.
Get in touch and we'll figure out which path makes sense for your situation, or read more about IT support and computer repair.