We already know that all support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025 leaving millions across the world with three simple options. Upgrade to Windows 11, pay a newly announced fee to continue getting updates or don’t do anything and leave PCs at risk of attack from cyber bugs.
It’s a conundrum that Windows 10 users will have to deal with next year but some are facing it much sooner. In fact, a bunch of devices are going to need to switch to something new before June 11.
Microsoft has just confirmed that all devices running Windows 10, version 21H2 will get no further updates after that date in the summer. This means users must switch to a more recent version of Windows 10 or make the jump to Windows 11 as soon as possible.
“These editions will no longer receive security updates after June 11, 2024. Customers who contact Microsoft Support after this date will be directed to update their device to the latest version of Windows 10 or upgrade to Windows 11 to remain supported,” Microsoft explained.
Luckily, this latest news only affects Enterprise and Education users but it’s a stark reminder of what’s to come. Once Windows 10 support officially ends next year it will leave millions at risk unless they act.
What makes this all the more concerning is the sheer number of people still using this operating system.
Recent figures from the team at StatCounter suggest that Windows 10 has a whopping 67 percent share of the market – that’s despite the impending end of life.
Of course, one of the biggest gripes for many Microsoft users is the system requirements needed to run Windows 11.
Many older laptops simply aren’t compatible with this new OS which means many will be left with no option but to scrap their perfectly good PCs and buy something new instead.
The team at Canalys Insights has even warned this could send million of laptops to landfill.
“Canalys estimates that in the nearly two-year period until Microsoft’s official end-of-support date for Windows 10 – 14 October 2025 – roughly a fifth of devices will become e-waste due to incompatibility with the Windows 11 OS,” the company said in a blog post.
“This equates to 240 million PCs. If these were all folded laptops, stacked one on top of another, they would make a pile 600km taller than the moon.”
It’s unclear if Microsoft will have a change of heart about scrapping Windows 10 next year but this new end of life warning that’s just been issued appears to show that it wants people swicthing to something new.
