Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025. After that date, Microsoft stops releasing free security updates for it. The computers keep working, which is exactly what makes this easy to put off.
In an office, the answer is usually simple: upgrade or replace. On a plant floor it is harder, because some of the computers that still run Windows 10 are attached to equipment that costs far more than the PC does.
The short version
- Find out exactly which Windows edition each machine runs. Some special editions are supported for years longer.
- Upgrade or replace what you can before the deadline.
- For machines that cannot change, isolate them and protect them another way.
Step one: know what you have
Walk the floor and the offices and list every Windows computer: what it does, what it is connected to, and which edition of Windows it runs. The edition matters more than most people expect.
- Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education reach end of support on October 14, 2025.
- Long-term servicing editions, often found on industrial equipment, follow their own schedule. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019, for example, is supported until January 2029.
The computer that came with a machine from the equipment maker may be one of these long-term editions. Check before you assume it is out of time.
Your options for each computer
- Upgrade to Windows 11. This works if the hardware meets the requirements and the software on it is supported on Windows 11. Ask the equipment or software vendor before you upgrade anything that runs production.
- Replace the computer. Often the right answer for office PCs that are too old for Windows 11.
- Buy Extended Security Updates. Microsoft offers paid security updates for Windows 10 after the deadline. For businesses the first year is $61 per device, and Microsoft has said the price doubles each year for up to three years. It buys time. It does not solve the problem.
- Isolate it. For a machine that cannot be upgraded, replaced or covered, take away its exposure.
How to protect a machine you cannot upgrade
- Put it on its own network segment, away from office computers and the internet. This is where good network design earns its keep.
- Allow only the connections it needs to do its job.
- Remove email and web browsing from it completely.
- Control USB drives, which are a common way malware reaches isolated machines.
- Keep a tested backup of its programs, settings and any data it holds.
- Write down the plan to replace it, with a date, so “temporary” does not become permanent.
Do not wait for October
Vendors get busy and hardware lead times stretch as a deadline like this gets close. Insurers and larger customers are also starting to ask about unsupported systems in their security questionnaires. Having an inventory and a plan for each machine is a much better answer than “we are looking into it.”
Xceltek supports manufacturers with managed IT and cybersecurity across the office and the plant floor.
Not sure what is still running Windows 10?
We can inventory your office and plant computers and help you plan what to upgrade, replace or isolate.
Common questions
Will Windows 10 computers stop working on October 14, 2025?
No. They will keep running, but they will no longer receive free security updates, so newly discovered weaknesses will stay open.
Our machine’s controller PC cannot be upgraded. What now?
First confirm which Windows edition it runs, since long-term servicing editions have later end dates. If it really is out of support, isolate it on its own network segment, restrict what can reach it, and keep a tested backup.
Is paying for Extended Security Updates worth it?
It can be for a small number of computers that need more time. Because the price rises each year, treat it as a bridge to an upgrade or replacement, not a long-term plan.
