Overview

Windows 10 End of Support refers to Microsoft ending support for the Windows 10 operating system by stopping the release of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for all computers using the operating system on October 14th, 2025. Those who wish to continue receiving ESU for Windows 10 can pay an annual fee to Microsoft. The retirement of the operating system was announced in June 2021 shortly before Windows 11 was unveiled. The announcement quickly inspired criticism, which grew in 2025 leading up to the retirement date, inspiring reactions and memes online about installing Linux rather than upgrading to the Windows 11 operating system and criticizing Microsoft's choice in general.

Background

End of Windows 10 Support Announced

In June 2021, Microsoft^[1] announced that they would retire the Windows 10 operating system on October 14th, 2025, meaning they would end support for the operating system on that date.^[2] On June 24th, Microsoft unveiled Windows 11 for the first time.^[3]

The announcement was met with some backlash online. For example, on June 14th, 2021, Redditor u/GATX303 posted a meme to the /r/pcmasterrace^[4] subreddit criticizing Microsoft for announcing Windows 11 despite originally claiming that Windows 10 would be their last operating system, garnering over 1,400 upvotes in four years.

Developments

ESU Program

On September 25th, 2025, roughly three weeks before Windows 10's retirement date, Microsoft^[5] published the details of the "Extended Security Updates" program for Windows 10, which allows those who wish to safely use Windows 10 after its retirement to receive ESU updates if they pay an annual subscription fee.^[6]

Retirement

In the days leading up to Windows 10's retirement, numerous blogs and media companies published articles about the ramifications of the retirement.

For example, on October 2nd, 2025, Prospect^[7] published an article titled "Microsoft Is Abandoning Windows 10. Hackers Are Celebrating." In the article, they share a link to a StatCounter^[8] graph of the "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide," which claims that 40.5% of Windows computers worldwide still use Windows 10. The writer talks about how the retirement of the OS will make many of these estimated 400 million computers obsolete and unusable, creating "more than one billion pounds of electronic waste," as a lot of older computers cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to their hardware restraints.

About the ESU program, the article reads, "Businesses can pay Microsoft to extend support for Windows 10 for $61 per device, a cost that doubles each consecutive year for three years total. Individuals can pay $30 for security upgrades that are only scheduled to last for one year. Or everyone can bin their computers and buy a new one."

On October 14th, 2025, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10.^[9]

Online Reactions

2025 Reactions

As the Windows 10 retirement date neared, memes and reactions to the retirement became increasingly popular on social media.

On October 11th, 2025, X^[10] user @myticalcat posted a meme showing Goku, Hatsune Miku and others crying over an anime girl meant to represent Windows 10 laying in a hospital bed, writing, "Goodbye, Windows 10. I hate you at first but then you became the only sane windows left. Thanks for all the memories. Time to install Linux," garnering over 10,000 likes in three days.

On October 12th and 13th, a meme showing Squidward putting flowers on Windows 10's grave was posted to the /r/PcBuild^[11] and /r/pcmasterrace^[12] subreddits respectively, garnering over 4,300 and 4,500 upvotes by the 14th.

On October 13th, X^[13] user @sysxplore posted a meme captioned, "Me teaching my kids Linux because Windows 11 ain't gonna run on their 10-year-old devices," gaining over 7,200 likes in a day.

On October 14th, X^[14] user @Win10EoS posted an It's Joever meme announcing that support had officially ended for the OS, garnering over 100,000 likes in under a day.

Later that day, Redditor u/dextras07 posted a version of the Death and the Dog meme about Windows 10 to the /r/Memes^[15] subreddit, garnering over 17,000 upvotes in under a day.

That same day, X^[16] user @clearconfused posted a comic about the end of Windows 10 in which a girl begs for it not to leave, claiming it's better than Windows 11, garnering over 750 likes in under two hours.

Search Interest

External References