Katarzyna Petru
Microsoft is once again doing what it does best – pushing the boundaries of user patience. This time, it concerns the support for Windows 10, which officially ends on 14 October 2025. And since this has triggered a wave of criticism, particularly from those who simply cannot upgrade to Windows 11 – the company has decided to give the system one last chance. But on its own terms. And not for free.
Year of Grace… with cloud login and microtransactions
Microsoft has announced that it will continue to release security updates for "the tenth" for another year — but you have to agree to a few things:
sync your computer settings with the cloud through a Microsoft account (i.e.: more data in Azure),
pay 30 dollars a year for ESU (Extended Security Updates),
or do "forced labour" in Microsoft Rewards points (i.e., click through their services, ads, quizzes, etc., until you collect 1000 points).
This is not real support. It is rather a symbolic nap – for those who have not yet managed to get used to the transition. Microsoft has given us a year to "clean up" our computers. The thing is, some of them work perfectly well – they just do not meet the requirements for Windows 11.
Restart Project: “It’s the largest wave of e-waste we’ve seen”
The whole situation did not go unnoticed. The Restart Project – an independent organisation focused on educating about electronics repair – warns: this move by Microsoft could generate millions of tonnes of e-waste, and not just any time – but precisely on International E-Waste Day, which falls on 14th October.
Together with other groups, Restart Project created the “End of 10 Toolkit”, a set of tools and guides for communities who want to extend the life of older computers by installing, for example, Linux on them. Yes, that’s right – Linux is once again in the limelight, but not out of a nerdy need to hack the BIOS, rather from a very real need… to ensure the hardware doesn’t end up in the bin.
“Microsoft is forcing millions of users to abandon equipment that still works, just because it doesn’t operate with the new Windows” – we read in the official statement from the Restart Project.
Planned Obsolescence in Code
It is usually said that planned obsolescence of equipment is at play – here we have its digital version. Microsoft programmatically cuts off support for Windows 10, even though half of the computers in the world are still using it.
The problem? Even if the end is postponed by 12 months, it changes nothing. In 2026, "ten" will be dead, and computers that could still work perfectly as machines for the internet, films, Word, or learning – will become "incompatible".
The Restart Project leaves no stone unturned on Microsoft:
"It accelerates the discarding of fully functional devices",
"It pushes people into unnecessary spending on new equipment",
"Without legal regulations, such practices will only increase".
In the background – Copilot+ promotion and AI narrative
It is no coincidence that Microsoft is now ramping up sales of Copilot+ PC – new computers with AI support and Windows 11. The company compares them to "outdated" machines running Windows 10 and throws around phrases like "2.3x faster" – forgetting to mention that they are being compared to 8-year-old laptops with HDDs and 4 GB of RAM.
At the same time, Microsoft is using the end of support as a sales lever. If you don't upgrade – you're left behind. And if you want the latest AI features – you have to buy new hardware. Simple? Brutal.
