- Windows 10 support ends tomorrow (October 14), but millions are still reluctant to upgrade
- Windows 10 searches soar despite Microsoft’s push toward Windows 11
- Old hardware and upgrade costs keep users stuck with old OS
As we should all know by now, tomorrow (October 14) marks the end of life for Windows 10, unless you’re willing to pay Microsoft for extended support. That means you’ll stop receiving important security updates and be at greater risk of hacks and malware.
The truth is, it won’t affect you right away if you haven’t yet upgraded to Windows 11, switched to Linux, or bought a Mac.
But over time, using Windows 10 will become increasingly risky. A solid antivirus or antimalware tool will still protect you from many threats, but not all.
Download Windows 10!
Microsoft has been pushing hard to get users to move to Windows 11, but despite the impending outage, the new operating system has not seen a meteoric surge of available updates and millions of users say they intend to continue using Windows 10.
In Statcounter’s September 2025 snapshot, Windows 11 lost share for the second month in a row, falling to 48.94%.
Windows 10, which in theory everyone should strive to abandon, remained stable at 40.5%. It could have been higher if Windows 7 had not taken a surprising step.
The problem is that Windows 11 has stricter hardware requirements, and for users with older PCs, it may not even be possible to run it.
There are unofficial solutions, but few people want to cheat the system just to install a new operating system.
Microsoft’s answer for those with older hardware is simple: buy a new PC. But that’s not always realistic, especially for anyone on a limited budget or for businesses that still rely heavily on Windows 10 machines.
In recent days searches for Windows 10 have skyrocketed. Microsoft would hope it was because users are looking for Windows 11 upgrade guides, but that’s not the case.
Google it and the top result is how to download Windows 10 disk image (ISO file).
Obviously, Microsoft expects users to see a clear warning about end-of-life support and how to move to Windows 11, not how to obtain a Windows 10 ISO so they can install or reinstall the previous system.
What if you try the same search on Bing? You will get the same story.
Once the old system reaches the end of its life, that will likely change, but for now users seem more interested in hanging on than moving on.
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