After more than a decade, Microsoft has officially called time on Windows 10. The operating system that first launched back in July 2015 has reached its official ‘end of servicing‘, marking the end of a significant chapter for PC users everywhere.
To send it off, the company has rolled out one last mainstream update for all Windows 10 users. This final hurrah tackles a handful of lingering bug fixes and security vulnerabilities, serving as the OS’s last official patch.
Now, before you panic, there is a bit of a grace period. Microsoft is offering a free year of extended security updates, but there’s a catch: you have to actively enrol in their Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme. It doesn’t cost anything, but you will need to sign in with a Microsoft account to register your device.
If you don’t bother with this, your PC will be left exposed to any new security flaws that are discovered from here on out. Without those monthly security patches, going online becomes a much riskier prospect, so it’s really not something to ignore.
There’s one version of Windows 10 still kicking about with support. A special commercial-only edition, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC, will continue to get security updates all the way until 2032. The catch is that this version isn’t legally available for your average person to buy and install; it’s strictly for specific embedded systems and commercial scenarios.