Still on Windows 10? What Toronto Users Need to Know in 2026

If your computer still runs Windows 10, you have more time than you probably think. There is also one step a lot of people have skipped.

Here is where things stand as of September 2026.

The dates that matter

• October 14, 2025: Windows 10 reached end of support. Regular security updates stopped for every PC that wasn't signed up for Extended Security Updates (ESU).
• October 13, 2026: the original end date for ESU on home PCs.
• October 12, 2027: the new end date. In June, Microsoft extended ESU for home users by another year. There was no big announcement. The new date just showed up on their support pages.

If you never enrolled, your PC hasn't had a security update since last October, and the extension doesn't change that until you sign up.

What "end of support" means for your PC

Nothing breaks on the day. Your PC still starts, your files are still there and your programs keep working. What stops is the fixes. When someone finds a new security hole in Windows 10, it stays open on any PC that isn't getting updates.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security puts it plainly: "Unsupported products no longer receive security patches or updates, which leaves them exposed to vulnerabilities and easier to exploit."

For most people it isn't an emergency. But the risk goes up every month, and it matters most on a computer you use for banking, email or work.

Option 1: Sign up for Extended Security Updates

This is the easiest way to keep a working Windows 10 PC safe for another year. You get security fixes only, no new features.

There are three ways to enrol:

• Free, if you sync your PC settings to your Microsoft account with Windows Backup
• 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points
• A one-time US$30 payment (charged in Canadian dollars, plus tax), which covers up to 10 PCs on the same Microsoft account

To sign up, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and look for the "Enroll now" link.

If the link isn't there, check these:

1. Your Windows version. ESU needs version 22H2. Press the Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter to see yours.
2. Pending updates. Install everything waiting in Windows Update, restart, and look again.
3. Your account. You need to be signed in with a Microsoft account that has administrator rights. A local account or a child account won't show the option.

Option 2: Move to Windows 11

If your PC can run Windows 11, this is the better long-term choice. The upgrade is free, and you're back on a version of Windows that gets regular updates with no cut-off coming up.

Windows 11 is fussier about hardware. It needs TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a newer processor, roughly Intel 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 2000 series and up. A lot of PCs from 2018 or earlier won't make the cut.

The quickest way to find out is Microsoft's free PC Health Check app. It gives you a yes or no, and if the answer is no, it tells you why.

A common catch: the app says your PC fails because TPM or Secure Boot is off, when the hardware supports both. Often that's just a setting in the BIOS that was never switched on.

Back up your files before you upgrade. Most upgrades go fine, but getting files back after one that doesn't takes far longer than copying them to an external drive first.

Option 3: Replace the computer

If your PC can't run Windows 11 and it's already slow, putting money into it may not make sense. ESU only buys you a year. After October 2027, a Windows 10 PC gets no more security updates, and more and more software will stop supporting it.

If it still does everything you need, enrol in ESU now and plan the replacement for sometime in the next year. That way you can shop around instead of buying in a rush.

If you game on Windows 10

NVIDIA's last Game Ready driver for Windows 10 is due in October 2026. From November, new GeForce drivers will need Windows 11. Windows 10 will still get security-only driver updates every quarter until October 2029, but no game optimizations and no fixes for new releases.

Your games won't stop working. New ones may just run worse over time, or have bugs that only get fixed on Windows 11. If gaming is the main thing that PC is for, that's a good reason to upgrade sooner.

So which one is you?

• Your PC passes PC Health Check: back up your files and upgrade to Windows 11.
• It doesn't pass, but it works fine: enrol in ESU and plan a replacement before October 2027.
• It doesn't pass and it's slow or old: replace it and move your files across.