Windows 10 End of Support: What Perth PC Users Need to Know in 2026

Windows 10 end of support took effect on 14 October 2025, which means Microsoft no longer sends regular updates, bug fixes or technical help to Windows 10 PCs. Your computer still turns on and works, and home users can keep receiving free security patches until 12 October 2027 through Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program. That later date matters, because a lot of advice online still says the cutoff is October 2026. It is not.

If you are wondering whether your Windows 10 laptop is still safe, whether it can run Windows 11, or whether you need to buy something new before a deadline, this guide answers each question in plain English. Every date below comes from Microsoft's own published pages, so you can make a calm decision for your home or business in Perth.

Windows 10 Key Dates at a Glance

Sources: Microsoft, End of support for Windows 10 and Microsoft Australia, Windows 10 Extended Security Updates.

Last updated 29 September 2026. Dates checked against Microsoft's official Windows 10 pages.

What Windows 10 End of Support Actually Means

End of support does not switch your computer off. Microsoft confirms that Windows 10 PCs continue to work after 14 October 2025. What stops is the maintenance behind the scenes: new features, quality fixes, security patches and access to Microsoft technical support.

Think of it like a house whose locksmith has retired. Your locks still work today. But when criminals learn a new way to pick them, nobody comes around to replace them. Every month without patches, the list of known weaknesses in an unprotected Windows 10 PC grows a little longer.

There is a second, slower effect. Software makers gradually stop testing their programs on unsupported systems, so over time you may find a new app, printer driver or banking security check that will not work on Windows 10. In short, Windows 10 end of life means the end of free maintenance, not the end of your computer.

Windows 10 Extended Security Updates Now Run to 12 October 2027

When Microsoft launched Extended Security Updates for home users, it was a one year program ending on 13 October 2026. In June 2026, Microsoft extended it by a full year. According to Microsoft's Australian ESU page, you can enrol at any time until the program ends on 12 October 2027. If your PC is already enrolled, the extra year is added automatically.

This is why you may have seen conflicting dates. Many articles, videos and even some computer shop websites were written before the extension and still warn that updates stop in October 2026. If a page tells you that you must replace your PC before 13 October 2026, it is out of date.

What ESU covers and what it does not

• Included: critical and important security updates for Windows 10 version 22H2, delivered through Windows Update.
• Not included: new features, general bug fixes or design changes.
• Not included: technical support, apart from help activating ESU and installing its updates.

ESU is a safety net for security, not a way to keep Windows 10 current. Treat it as extra time to plan your move, not a permanent solution.

How to Enrol in Windows 10 ESU (Free Options Included)

Enrolling takes a few minutes if your PC meets Microsoft's conditions. Work through these three steps in order.

Step 1: Check that your PC is eligible

• Windows 10 version 22H2 in the Home, Pro, Pro Education or Workstations edition. To check, press the Windows key, type winver and press Enter.
• The latest Windows updates installed and the PC restarted.
• An administrator Microsoft account. If you normally sign in with a local account, Windows will ask you to sign in to a Microsoft account during enrolment. Child accounts cannot enrol.
• A personal device. Computers joined to a company domain, enrolled in device management (MDM) or running in kiosk mode are not offered consumer ESU.

Step 2: Choose how you will enrol

Microsoft offers three ways to enrol, and each gives the same coverage until 12 October 2027:

1. At no cost, if you sync your PC settings using Windows Backup.
2. By redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
3. With a one time purchase of US$30, charged at the local currency equivalent plus tax.

One ESU licence can be used on up to 10 devices, so a single enrolment can cover most households.

Step 3: Enrol through Windows Update

1. Open Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update.
2. Select Enroll now in the Extended Security Updates notice.
3. Sign in with your Microsoft account if asked.
4. Choose backup sync, Rewards points or purchase, and confirm.
5. Return to Windows Update and check that the page shows your PC is enrolled.

If the Enroll now link does not appear, the PC is usually missing one of the requirements in Step 1. Installing all pending updates and restarting fixes many cases. If it still will not show, our Windows repair technicians can track down the cause.

Is Windows 10 Still Safe to Use?

Yes, with conditions. A Windows 10 PC enrolled in ESU, with automatic updates switched on and a current web browser, is reasonably protected for everyday use until 12 October 2027. A Windows 10 PC that is not enrolled has received no operating system security fixes since October 2025, and every newly discovered flaw stays open.

Antivirus helps, but it cannot repair weaknesses inside Windows itself. Microsoft makes the same point: security software is useful, but it does not replace security updates to the operating system.

Be especially careful if an unenrolled Windows 10 PC is used for:

• Online banking, tax returns or payments
• Business email and client records
• Saved passwords, identity documents or photos you cannot replace

If any of those apply, enrol in ESU today. For most people it costs nothing and takes minutes.

Windows 10 End of Support for Perth Businesses

Businesses need to read the fine print. The consumer ESU program is for personal devices. Microsoft does not offer it to PCs joined to Active Directory or Microsoft Entra, enrolled in MDM, or running in kiosk mode. Those computers need commercial ESU, which organisations buy through Microsoft licensing for up to three years, with the price per device rising each year.

For a small business, the real risk is not a fine or a switch being flipped. It is a known vulnerability on an unpatched PC that holds customer data, invoices or banking access. Before the extra year slips by, work through this checklist:

• List every PC with its Windows version and processor model.
• Mark which machines can move to Windows 11 at no cost.
• Cover every remaining Windows 10 PC with ESU so nothing sits unpatched.
• Spread replacements across 2027 instead of buying everything at once.
• Check whether your cyber insurance or client contracts require supported software.
• Plan secure data wiping for every PC you retire.

Refurbished business laptops are often the most cost effective way to replace several machines. Many models in our refurbished laptops range, such as recent Dell Latitude and HP EliteBook generations, meet the Windows 11 requirements, and we can confirm which units in stock do before you buy.

When old PCs are retired, remember that WA has banned regulated electronic waste from landfill since 1 July 2024, and larger organisations have record keeping duties. Our IT equipment buyback page explains what those rules mean for Perth businesses.

Windows 11 Requirements: Can Your PC Upgrade for Free?

If your PC qualifies, moving from Windows 10 Home or Pro to the same edition of Windows 11 costs nothing. Eligible PCs show the offer in Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update. These are Microsoft's minimum Windows 11 requirements:

Source: Microsoft, Windows 11 specifications.

The processor is where most older PCs fall short. As a general rule, most Intel processors from the 8th generation onwards and most AMD Ryzen processors from the 2000 series onwards are on Microsoft's supported list. Anything older usually is not, and most laptop processors are soldered to the motherboard, so they cannot be replaced. In practice, 8 GB of memory and a solid state drive make Windows 11 far more pleasant to use than the 4 GB minimum.

How to check your PC

Download Microsoft's free PC Health Check app and run the Windows 11 check. It tells you which requirement, if any, your PC fails.

When a failed check can be fixed

A failed check is not always final. Some PCs report as ineligible only because TPM or Secure Boot is switched off in the firmware settings, or because the drive uses an older partition style. These can often be corrected without buying anything.

Memory and storage can also be upgraded on many desktops and some laptops. If your PC feels slow as well as out of date, our guide to the signs your computer hardware needs an upgrade explains where an upgrade makes sense and where it does not.

Workarounds exist to force Windows 11 onto unsupported hardware. Microsoft does not recommend those installations and does not guarantee they will keep receiving updates, so we do not suggest them for a computer you rely on.

Your Options Compared

For many Perth households the best move is a combination. Enrol in ESU today so you are protected, then use the time until October 2027 to upgrade or replace on your own schedule, rather than in a rush.

A 12 Month Plan to Move Off Windows 10

1. This week: check your Windows version, install all updates, and enrol in ESU if the PC cannot move to Windows 11 yet.
2. This month: back up your files. Windows Backup, OneDrive or an external drive all work. What matters is having a second copy.
3. By early 2027: run PC Health Check on every computer in the house or office and decide which will upgrade and which will be replaced.
4. During 2027: replace machines one at a time, and move your files, email and programs across with a proper new computer data migration.
5. Before 12 October 2027: make sure no Windows 10 PC is left in daily use without a plan.

What to Do With Your Old Windows 10 PC

Your old computer still holds saved passwords, emails, photos and documents, even after you delete files. Before it leaves your hands:

• Wipe it properly. A factory reset is a start. For business machines or anything with sensitive data, use secure data destruction with a verification report.
• Sell it if it still has value. Working laptops and desktops can often be sold to a licensed dealer. You can sell your used laptop or desktop to DV Computers under WA Second Hand Dealer Licence No. 1029.
• Recycle what cannot be reused. Our IT recycling service keeps old equipment out of landfill.

How DV Computers Can Help

DV Computers has been a Perth computer store and repair workshop since 2001, based at 29 Hulme Ct, Myaree. We are a Certified Microsoft Refurbisher and an authorised ASUS, HP, Dell and Lenovo partner. Here is how we can help with the move off Windows 10:

• Check whether your PC can run Windows 11, and what it would take to get it there.
• Fix Windows 10 problems that block updates or ESU enrolment through our Windows PC repair service.
• Supply refurbished laptops in Perth that meet the Windows 11 requirements.
• Move your files, email and programs to your new computer with new computer migration.
• Wipe, buy back or recycle your old PC.

Call (08) 9329 9028, visit our Myaree workshop (Monday to Friday 9:30am to 6pm, Saturday 9:30am to 1pm), or send us a message.

Frequently Asked Questions About Windows 10 End of Support

The Bottom Line

Windows 10 end of support happened in October 2025, but for home users the real deadline is now 12 October 2027. Enrol in ESU if you have not already, check whether your PC can run Windows 11, and use the extra year to upgrade or replace on your own terms.

If you would like a hand with any step, the DV Computers team in Myaree can help. Call (08) 9329 9028 or contact us online to book your PC in.