Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025, and a year on, a surprising number of South African businesses are still running it on the PCs that handle their banking, their email and their clients’ personal information. Those machines still switch on and still run your software — but they no longer receive security updates, and every month that passes adds new weaknesses that will never be fixed. The one-year consumer extension that some home and sole-trader PCs were enrolled in also runs out on 13 October 2026. This guide explains what end of support actually means for a business, how to check whether each PC can run Windows 11, your four real options, and how to plan the move without disrupting the office.
The Short Answer
Check every Windows 10 PC in the business. Upgrade the ones that qualify to Windows 11 — it is free — after backing them up and testing your key software. Replace the ones whose processors are too old, starting with the machines that handle money and client data. Use Extended Security Updates only as a short, paid bridge for PCs you cannot replace yet. Do not leave unsupported Windows 10 PCs on your business network indefinitely.
What “End of Support” Actually Means
End of support does not mean Windows 10 stops working. It means Microsoft stopped providing security updates, bug fixes and technical help for it. The practical effect builds up slowly and then all at once:
- Every new vulnerability stays open. Security researchers and criminals keep finding flaws in Windows 10. On a supported system those get patched; on an unsupported one they do not.
- Software support falls away. Over time, security tools, browsers and business applications stop supporting Windows 10, and some stop installing on it at all.
- Your compliance position weakens. POPIA expects reasonable technical measures to protect personal information. Knowingly running an operating system that no longer receives security fixes is hard to present as reasonable if something goes wrong.
- Insurers may ask. Cyber insurers increasingly ask whether systems are supported and patched, and an unsupported fleet can affect cover or a claim.
Ransomware and mailbox takeovers usually get in through exactly this kind of unpatched weakness, which is why our guide to ransomware protection puts patching near the top of the list.
The Dates That Matter
- 14 October 2025 — Windows 10 support ended. No more free security updates.
- 13 October 2026 — the one-year consumer Extended Security Updates programme ends.
- Up to three years — businesses can buy commercial Extended Security Updates per device, with the price doubling each year.
If a PC in your business was enrolled in the consumer programme, it stops receiving updates on 13 October 2026 unless it is upgraded, replaced or moved to commercial cover.
Can Your PCs Run Windows 11?
Windows 11 needs a supported processor, TPM 2.0 (a security feature usually built into the processor), at least 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage, along with Secure Boot support. In practice the processor and TPM decide almost every case. Answer the four questions for one of your PCs:
Repeat it for each machine, or run Microsoft’s free PC Health Check app on each one, which tests every requirement at once. The most common surprise is a PC that looks too old but qualifies once TPM is switched on in the BIOS — and the second most common is a newer-looking machine with a processor just too old to make the list.
Your Four Options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11 — free
For any licensed Windows 10 PC that meets the requirements, the upgrade costs nothing and is offered through Windows Update. It keeps your files and most programs in place. The real cost is the time to test and move each machine carefully, which is why it is worth planning rather than clicking “upgrade” on a busy Monday morning.
2. Replace the PC
PCs with unsupported processors cannot be upgraded officially, and they are usually five or more years old — close to the end of their useful business life anyway. Replacement also brings modern security features, better battery life and far better performance. Prioritise the machines that handle payments, client records and email, and move the data across properly before the old one is wiped.
3. Extended Security Updates, as a bridge
Microsoft sells Extended Security Updates for businesses per device, for up to three years, at about US$61 per device for the first year, doubling each year after that. It keeps security patches flowing to machines you genuinely cannot replace yet — a PC running specialised software that is not yet certified for Windows 11, for example. Because the price climbs every year, treat it as a bridge with a planned end date, not a way to avoid the decision.
4. Isolate what cannot move
Some machines run software that will never support Windows 11 — equipment controllers, old laboratory or medical systems, legacy point-of-sale terminals. If one must stay on Windows 10, take it off your main network, block its internet access where possible, and never use it for email or browsing. Network segmentation, covered in our guide to network security and WiFi setup, is how that is done properly.
What we do not recommend is forcing Windows 11 onto unsupported hardware with unofficial workarounds. Microsoft does not guarantee those PCs will keep receiving updates, which defeats the reason for upgrading.
Planning the Move Without Disrupting the Business
A well-run move is invisible to staff. A rushed one loses a day of work and a folder of files. The order that works:
- Make an inventory. List every Windows 10 PC, who uses it, what it runs and whether it qualifies.
- Back everything up, and test the backup. Upgrades rarely lose data, but “rarely” is not good enough for client files. Our guide to cloud backup covers what a real backup looks like.
- Check your business software. Confirm with each vendor that your accounting, practice management, point-of-sale and line-of-business software supports Windows 11.
- Pilot on one or two PCs used by people who will tell you when something breaks.
- Upgrade the rest in batches, after hours, then check printers, scanners, email and shared drives on each machine.
- Fix performance at the same time. An upgrade is the ideal moment to swap an old hard drive for an SSD or add memory — see our guide to reinstalls and SSD upgrades for what actually speeds up a slow PC.
- Show staff what moved. The Start menu, taskbar and settings look different. Ten minutes of orientation saves a week of “where is…” questions.
What It Costs
The Windows 11 upgrade itself is free. The costs are:
- Labour to back up, test, upgrade and check each PC — usually a planned job rather than an emergency, which keeps it predictable.
- Hardware for PCs that do not qualify, plus any SSD or memory upgrades for machines that qualify but are slow.
- Extended Security Updates for any machine you bridge, priced per device and rising each year.
A business on a managed support agreement usually has this rolled into planned work; one paying ad hoc will want a quote for the whole fleet upfront. Our guide to IT support costs in South Africa explains how both models are typically priced.
A Windows 10 Checklist
- Every Windows 10 PC listed, with its user and what it runs
- Each PC checked for Windows 11 readiness
- A working, tested backup for every machine before anything changes
- Business software confirmed compatible with Windows 11
- Qualifying PCs upgraded, with slow drives swapped for SSDs
- Replacements budgeted and scheduled for unsupported PCs, starting with finance and client-data machines
- Extended Security Updates bought only for machines with a replacement date
- Any PC that must stay on Windows 10 isolated from the main network
- Old PCs wiped properly before disposal
How IT-Support-SA Can Help
We handle the whole move for South African businesses: auditing every PC for Windows 11 readiness, backing up and upgrading the machines that qualify, fitting SSDs and memory where they will make a difference, sourcing and setting up replacements for the ones that do not, migrating data and settings, and isolating anything that has to stay behind. Upgrades are done after hours so the office keeps working, and our desktop support team handles the follow-up questions once staff are on the new system.
Conclusion
Windows 10 end of support is not a crisis on the day — it is a risk that grows every month an unsupported PC stays on your network. Check every machine, upgrade the ones that qualify for free, replace the ones that do not, use Extended Security Updates only as a short bridge, and isolate anything that genuinely cannot move. Done in a planned way, most businesses can be fully off Windows 10 within a few weeks with no lost work.
Contact IT-Support-SA for a Windows 11 readiness check across your office — we will tell you exactly which PCs can upgrade, which need replacing, and what it will cost. We support businesses across Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Ladysmith, Johannesburg, Cape Town and all 9 provinces of South Africa.