Microsoft is about to end support for Windows 10 security updates in somewhat three months, exactly on October 14, 2025. With users highlighting the demanding minimum system specifications of Windows 11 and some design flaws as the primary reasons preventing them from upgrading, this decision has generated significant opposition.
Filing a petition against Microsoft’s decision to stop Windows 10 support last year, a Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) did so. They contended that this choice would cause what they called ‘the single greatest increase ever in discarded computers.’ Moreover, they said that this action would undermine the sustainability goals of the tech behemoth.
Microsoft disclosed its plan to keep giving security updates for Windows 10 even after the October deadline, but there is a condition. To continue getting these Windows 10 security updates beyond the cutoff date, Windows 10 users will need to sync their computer setup data with the cloud via a Microsoft Account.
While the additional year for users to prepare their migration to Windows 11 helps them, PIRG notes that Microsoft might do more to ease the situation: “Microsoft’s new choices don’t go far enough and probably won’t make a dent in the up to 400 million Windows 10 PCs that cannot update to Windows 11.” Additionally, Windows 11 update KB5055627 arrived with AI-powered features and fixes.
Users can elect to claim 1,000 Microsoft Reward points or pay $30 for extended Windows 10 security updates (ESU) to continue using Windows 10 beyond its upcoming end, in addition to synchronizing their PC settings to the cloud using Microsoft’s Azure service. A group called a ‘people-powered social company,’ aiming to instruct people on how to fix malfunctioning appliances, the Restart Project, published a blog post entitled: ‘Let’s stop Microsoft creating millions of tonnes of e-waste this October.’
Though Microsoft is set to end support for the Windows 10 security updates on October 14, 2025, ironically coinciding with International E-Waste Day, this group claims half of all Windows computers are still running Windows 10.
