Windows 10 Support ends in exactly 1 year - here are your options

[harlan4096]

Microsoft plans to end support for its Windows 10 operating system on October 14th, 2025 officially. This means that the company won't release any updates or changes anymore for the 10-year-old operating system.

Microsoft hopes that users upgrade to Windows 10 or buy new entirely new PCs with Windows 11. But many Windows 10 users may not want to upgrade or cannot, because of more restrictive system requirements of Windows 11.

Not every user can afford to purchase a new PC and there is an argument to be made for sustainability either. Why throw away a perfectly good PC?
Windows 10 is still holding the lead when it comes to the most popular Windows operating systems. That means hundreds of millions of devices still run Windows 10.

This article lists and explains the following options that Windows 10 users have:

1. Upgrade to Windows 11 (with a caveat).
   
2. Extend Windows 10 support.
   
3. Switch from Windows to Linux or ChromeOS Flex.
   
4. Buy a new or refurbished PC with Windows 11.
   
5. Stay on Windows 10 and do nothing.
   

Option 1: Upgrade to Windows 11 (with a caveat)



Upgrading to Windows 11 may sound like the easiest option of them all. Just upgrade using Windows Update or other means, and you can continue using the PC. The upgrade is free.

One main issue that hundreds of millions of Windows 10 PC users will encounter is that their devices may not meet the system requirements of Windows 11.

If that is the case, Windows Update won't offer the upgrade. There are bypass options to install Windows 11 on devices that do not meet the system requirements, but this leads to follow-up issues whenever Microsoft releases a new feature update.

First thing you may want to do is download the latest version of Microsoft's PC Health Check app. This checks if the PC meets the system requirements of Windows 11.

Activate the "check now" button and the app tells you if the PC is compatible.

If it is, go to Start > Settings > Windows Update and activate the check for updates button. Windows 11 should be offered to you so that you can download and install it.

If it is not, you cannot use Windows Update directly to install Windows 11 on the device. You can install Windows 11 on most PCs that do not meet the system requirements.

Word of advise: Before you do, create a system backup. This allows you to restore the PC in case things do not work out.

A single entry in the Windows 10 Registry bypasses some of the checks. You can download this Registry file to make the change. Just unpack the archive and double-click on the Registry file. Confirm the security prompt and the necessary changes are added to the Registry.

If you prefer the manual way, do this:

1. Select Start.
   
2. Type regedit.exe and press the Enter-key.
   
3. Confirm the security prompt.
   
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup
   
5. Right-click on MoSetup and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
   
6. Set its name to AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU.
   
7. Double-click on the new Dword and set its value to 1.
   
8. Restart the PC.
   

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