Article · 13 July 2026 · Elated Consulting
Still Running Windows 10? What UK Businesses Need to Do Now
Windows 10 support has ended, and every month on it now increases your risk. What end of support actually means, who is exposed, and the practical routes off it.
Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 in October 2025. If your business is still running it, and a remarkable number are, every month that passes now widens the gap between you and the attackers who study each new Windows 11 patch for clues about what remains unfixed on Windows 10. Here is what end of support actually means, and the sensible ways off it.
What end of support really means
The machines keep working. That is exactly the problem: nothing visibly breaks, so the risk is easy to ignore. What stops is the flow of free security fixes. When new vulnerabilities are found, and they are found constantly, unsupported systems stay open. Ransomware groups deliberately target out-of-support systems because they know the holes will never close.
The knock-on effects nobody mentions
- Compliance and certification. Cyber Essentials requires supported software, so unsupported Windows 10 machines can fail your certification on their own.
- Insurance. Cyber insurers ask about unsupported systems, and a claim involving one may be challenged.
- Software support. Vendors steadily drop Windows 10 from their supported lists, so line-of-business applications and even browsers eventually stop updating too.
Your realistic options
- Upgrade eligible machines to Windows 11. Free where the hardware qualifies. The catch is that Windows 11 has strict hardware requirements, and many machines bought before 2019 do not meet them.
- Replace what cannot upgrade. For older hardware, replacement is usually more economical than fighting it, and modern machines bring real security improvements of their own. Spread purchases across a planned refresh rather than a panic buy.
- Buy time with Extended Security Updates. Microsoft sells businesses continued security patches for up to three years, with the price doubling each year. Treat ESU as a bridge for machines you genuinely cannot move yet, not as a plan.
How to approach it without chaos
Start with an audit: which machines exist, which can upgrade, which cannot, and which actually matter. Then sequence the work: upgrade the eligible, schedule replacements for the rest, and put ESU only on the stragglers with a firm end date. A 20-machine office is typically a few weeks of planned, unhurried work, and vastly cheaper than one incident on an unpatched system.
Where we come in
We run this exact migration for businesses: the audit, the upgrade waves, sensible hardware recommendations when replacement wins, and the security configuration that should accompany any new machine. If you are not certain what is still on Windows 10 across your business, that uncertainty is itself the first problem worth fixing. Get in touch and we will map your estate and the cleanest route off it.