On 14 October 2025 (Microsoft), Microsoft ended regular support for Windows 10. Since then, this operating system no longer receives the free security updates that close newly discovered gaps. Your computer still starts, programs run as usual, and at first glance nothing changes. That is precisely the catch, because in the background the number of known but no longer patched weaknesses grows week by week. This is by no means a niche issue: in Germany, around 22 percent (StatCounter) of all desktop PCs still run Windows 10, meaning millions of devices, many of them in private households here in the Hildesheim and Leine valley region too. This article explains, calmly and without jargon, what risks an unprotected system carries, how to check whether your PC meets the Windows 11 requirements, what the security buffer offers and when a new device is worthwhile. How fraudsters exploit the uncertainty around such changes is covered in our article on phishing and fake calls.
Key takeaways
- Since 14 October 2025, Microsoft has no longer delivered regular security updates for Windows 10; the system keeps running but becomes more vulnerable week by week.
- In Germany, roughly one in five desktop PCs still uses Windows 10, a large share of them in private households.
- Whether your computer can run Windows 11 depends mainly on TPM 2.0 and a suitable processor; often the chip is merely switched off in the BIOS.
- For private users in the EU, free security updates are available as a buffer until October 2026, but that is only a bridge, not a permanent state.
- The switch works without any data-loss stress if all photos and files are backed up first and programs, mail and passwords are transferred cleanly.
What End of Support Really Means
The phrase end of support sounds harmless, but it has a clear meaning. Until 14 October 2025 (Microsoft), Microsoft provided monthly updates for Windows 10 that fixed errors and, above all, closed freshly discovered security gaps. Since that cut-off date, these regular updates no longer come. Your computer does not suddenly become unusable; it still starts and all programs work at first just as they did the day before. The trouble arises gradually: every new weakness that criminals find stays permanently open on a Windows 10 system, because no security update closes it any more. Over time, a once well-maintained system turns into a gateway.
A look at how widespread Windows 10 still is shows how many people this affects. In Germany, around 22 percent (StatCounter) of desktop PCs still run Windows 10, while almost 75 percent (StatCounter) already use Windows 11. Even though the majority have made the switch, that still means millions of devices remaining online without current protection. In private households in particular, the move is often still pending because it is seen as complicated or expensive. Yet for many families and older people here in the Hildesheim and Leine valley region, their own computer is the gateway to online banking, official mail and contact with the family, exactly the area where security matters most.
The assessment of the BSI
The Risks of an Unprotected System
An operating system without security updates is like a house whose locks have become known but are no longer replaced. For private users this mainly means three things: more attack surface for malware, growing danger to personal data, and gradually problems with programs that require newer systems. These risks rarely appear at once, but they increase every month. Anyone who plans the change early does not need to feel pressured by it. The important thing is simply not to sit the topic out. How criminals deliberately target insecure systems and unsettled people is also shown in our article on phishing and fraudulent calls.
Open security gaps
Newly discovered weaknesses are no longer closed on Windows 10. Malware can exploit such gaps to settle in without you noticing it right away.
Danger to your data
Online banking, passwords and personal documents are more at risk on an unprotected system. Data theft, in case of doubt, hits exactly the information you would least want to lose.
Programs follow suit
Little by little, browsers, security software and apps drop support for Windows 10. What still runs today may show warnings in a few months or fail to start at all.
No reason to panic, but a reason to plan
Does My PC Already Run Windows 11?
The good news first: if your PC meets the requirements, the upgrade to Windows 11 is free (Microsoft). Whether your device is suitable depends on a manageable list of requirements. The most consequential is a security chip called TPM 2.0 (Microsoft), a so-called Trusted Platform Module in version 2.0. Added to this are a compatible 64-bit processor with at least two cores, at least 4 GB (Microsoft) of memory, at least 64 GB (Microsoft) of free storage and an activated secure start, known as Secure Boot. Whether your computer fits is checked with a single click by Microsoft's free PC Health Check app, which names the reason if something is missing.
| Requirement | What Windows 11 needs | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Security chip TPM 2.0 | Trusted Platform Module in version 2.0 | PC Health Check app or entering tpm.msc |
| Processor | Compatible 64-bit processor, two or more cores | Compare the model with Microsoft's approved list |
| Memory | At least 4 GB of RAM | System information in the settings |
| Storage | At least 64 GB of free space | Drive properties in the file explorer |
| Secure start | Secure Boot activated in the UEFI | Check the UEFI or BIOS settings |
Often the chip is just switched off
The Security Buffer Until October 2026
Anyone who cannot manage the switch straight away is not left unprotected. Microsoft offers a program for extended security updates, ESU for short. What is special for Germany: for private users in the European Economic Area, these extended security updates are free until 14 October 2026 (Verbraucherzentrale), provided you sign in with a Microsoft account. Worldwide, Microsoft also offers several ways into the program, such as saving your PC settings, using 1,000 (Microsoft) reward points or a one-time payment of around 30 (Microsoft) US dollars. For most households in the EU, the free route via the account is the simplest way to buy a little more time.
- Free route in the EU: sign in with a Microsoft account and activate the extended updates until October 2026 (Verbraucherzentrale).
- Saving the PC settings in the Microsoft cloud as a prerequisite for free participation (Microsoft).
- Alternatively the use of reward points or a one-time payment, if the free route is not an option (Microsoft).
A buffer, not a permanent solution
New PC or Upgrade? When Each Makes Sense
Whether an upgrade or a new device is worthwhile depends mainly on the age and condition of your computer. If the PC meets the requirements and still runs briskly in everyday use, the free upgrade to Windows 11 is almost always the most sensible choice. If, on the other hand, the device is several years old, already slow or technically unsuitable, a new computer can be the better decision, because it will stay securely supported for longer. A survey shows how many people face this question: 31 percent (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) of Windows 10 users stated that they have to buy or have already bought a new device because of end of support. The Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband also points out that a hasty new purchase creates avoidable electronic waste (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband). That is why it always pays to check honestly first whether the existing PC is suitable after all.
| Criterion | Upgrade to Windows 11 | New PC with Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement | PC meets TPM 2.0 and the processor rules | Also suitable for older, incompatible devices |
| Cost | The upgrade itself is free (Microsoft) | Purchase of a new device |
| Effort | Installation and data transfer on the same device | Setup and complete migration of data |
| Sensible when | The computer otherwise still runs briskly and reliably | The device is getting on in years anyway |
Before we talk about a new device, we always check first whether your computer can handle the upgrade. That saves money and, as a nice side effect, spares the environment.
Switching Without Data Loss: How We Work
For most people, the sore point of an operating-system change is not the technology but the worry about their own memories and documents. This is exactly where we start. We come to your home, first check whether your PC can run Windows 11 and then back up all photos, documents and mail before anything is changed at all. Only then do we install Windows 11 cleanly or set up a new computer and transfer your programs, email accounts and passwords. You do not have to prepare anything and keep an overview at every step. Which backup strategy for photos and important data proves reliable in the long run is shown in an article of its own, and how such a data transfer to a new device works in detail is described there too.
1. Check compatibility
We look at your computer, check TPM, processor and storage and, if needed, switch on the security chip in the BIOS. This reliably settles whether an upgrade is enough or a new device makes sense.
2. Back up data and photos
Before any change, we back up your photos, documents and mail on a separate storage medium. If you wish, we set up a lastingly reliable data backup at the same time.
3. Install Windows 11
We install Windows 11 cleanly on your suitable PC or set up a new computer completely, including the basic settings, so that everything runs clearly and stably from the start.
4. Programs and passwords
Finally, we transfer your programs, email accounts and, with a password manager, your login details too, so that you find your way around again straight away.
So that the change does not end with an unfamiliar screen, we show you calmly, if you wish, what is new in Windows 11 and where the familiar functions can now be found. We handle this introduction in our Windows course at your home, so that you move confidently around the new system. Anyone who would like to consolidate the basics on the computer anyway will find a patient start in our computer courses at home, and especially for older people we offer calm tech help for seniors. We bill this personal guidance through a clear home-visit flat rate, so that the costs stay predictable and you have a fixed contact, not an anonymous call center. How secure the handling of your data remains in the process is something we also put into context in our article on privacy and security at home. If you are unsure which route is right for you, we are happy to clarify that in a personal conversation.
Sources and studies