Still Millions on Windows 10
Windows 10 was released in 2015 and it is rapidly rising to become one of the most visibly operating systems of Microsoft. It has since received praises as being stable, user-friendly and a high performer. Nevertheless, in October 2025, the company officially stopped providing the platform with free security updates.
The point is that quite a large percentage of the population is still using Windows 10. As rated by IDC, about 25% of active PCs at workplaces continue to use Windows 10. Subsidiary research, such as that of Counterpoint Research and TeamViewer, shows that this number might go as high as 40% when home users are considered. As an implication, it is almost possible that close to half of all windows installations are currently vulnerable to security threats.
The Cybersecurity Risk in the Future
The cybersecurity researchers warn that the support of Windows 10 may end, which may give a free pass to malicious individuals. Dustin Childs, a director of the cyber threat awareness at Trend Micro, compared the conditions to the one that occurred following the withdrawal of the support of Windows XP by Microsoft, after which the legacy system was quickly focused on by attackers.
Childs forecasts the same situation on a larger scale. It is possible to assume that a single machine is insignificant, but it is one of the drops in a tidal wave that can be used by a botnet, he said. Unused Windows 10 environments represent foothold opportunities that can be used by attackers to initiate a large-scale cyber activity, especially considering the increased organization and sophistication of threat actors nowadays.
The analysts predict that there will be an increase in the targeted attacks on Windows 10 users during the first quarter of 2026, including ransomware, phishing, and remote system intrusions. Without regular security patches, such systems will become the easy target of unscrupulous elements.
Perspective of Microsoft: Security and Progress
Microsoft had posted well into the future that it was going to stop supporting Windows 10, explaining that it had to be done to encourage people to upgrade to a more secure and modern technology. The corporation assumes that Windows 11 will be safer, faster, and more focused on the future of AI.
To Microsoft, maintenance of security of the old software is a drain on its resources that would otherwise be used in new technology. The company claims that continuous support of older releases will hamper innovation and instill unnecessary risk. It is based on this that users had sufficient time to migrate to the new system.
Why can’t many upgrade
Millions of users cannot or do not use Windows 11, regardless of the message that Microsoft is trying to convey to them. One of the major obstacles is hardware requirements. Windows 11 requires newer processors, security chips TPM 2.0 and other additional features that many older machines do not have.
In turn, a well-operating Windows 10 PC can still not be upgraded. This would force users to buy new hardware so that they can ensure protection, in spite of the fact that the system they already have is still in use. To a small business, a learning institution, or those who have limited funds, this is a heavy burden.
Consequently, many of the users become disfranchised. Others are giving Microsoft the move as unfair and even unwarranted and especially since Windows 10 is still meeting their need of functionality.
The Environmental Issue: Crisis of E-Waste
The withdrawal of support has also caused serious environmental considerations. Nathan Proctor, the director of the Campaign to the Right to Repair, cautioned that compelling users to dispose of their working computers may result in large quantities of electronic waste.
Proctor believes that millions of PCs that operate can eventually end up in landfills simply because they cannot run Windows 11. This would increase the already existing challenges of e-waste in the world that are already threatening the environment. He asserts that Microsoft should offer free security updates as opposed to pushing users into the purchase of new hardware.
Proctor also notes that Microsoft will offer paid extended security updates to corporations, which points to the ability of the company to protect them in case it is necessary. Critics argue that no free alternatives are provided to individual users thus making it an unfair practice.
Windows 11 Struggles to Gain User Acceptance
Windows 11 is yet to gain universal acceptability even after four years in the market. Windows 10 is still used by many users, who argue that it is easy, fast and stable. Nathan Proctor himself talks of Windows 11 as a better product.
In the case of many people, there have been no strong reasons to change. New interface and design changes of Windows 11 are viewed as unnecessary, and some users are less intuitive in the new format. Although Microsoft boasts of features like high level of security and the addition of AI-built features, most users focus on reliability and user-friendliness areas, in which Windows 10 continues to excel.
Paid Updates and Fairness dilemma
Consumers who want to maintain security releases on Windows 10 have paid options in Microsoft. Big organizations can buy such lengthy updates over a number of years. But average customers would not most likely have such plans available to them or they would consider such plans to be cost impractical.
This inequality has sparked a debate on equality. To the extent that Microsoft is able to keep serving the platform to businesses, why not run the same risk-free protection to ordinary consumers? It is argued that the motives of the corporation are not needy but mostly profit-driven.
A Challenging Future Coming
This transition is quite a challenge to millions of individuals and organizations. There will be those who will upgrade to Windows 11 or buy new computers and those who will continue using Windows 10 in spite of the risk that comes with it. Most developing nations still have a legacy system in education, small business, and government operations, making this transition even more tedious.
It is expected by experts that there will be a bounty of cyber threats in 2026 that will involve the use of outdated systems. Those users who cannot afford upgrades might contemplate using third-party security software, paying increased attention to the Internet, and ensuring that the most important information is backed up to ensure its protection.
Assumption: A Delicate Equilibrium Between Advancement and Accountability
Microsoft’s removal of support for Windows 10 is a turning point for personal computing history. Although the company wants to promote advancements and security enhancements, the action speaks to underlying concerns regarding affordability, environmental stewardship, and digital access.
Windows 10 was a popular, stable, and robust system. Forcing its abandonment by millions of users seems hasty to most users and experts. The real challenge here is achieving a balance between that and keeping the wheels of innovation rolling without making millions exposed or contributing to world e-waste.The end of the Windows 10 support is not a technical upgrade but also a notice of the extent to which technology decisions touch our everyday world, our economy, and the globe.
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