If Windows Update says your desktop or laptop doesn't meet the requirements for Windows 11, a bit of work under the hood could make it happen anyway.

If your computer is still running without issues and meets your needs, you have a few ways to extend its life beyond 2025. Microsoft is now offering enrollment to the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which allows you to receive critical security patches for an additional year, through October 13, 2026.

Windows 10 has reached end of life, but you can continue using it by enrolling your PC into the ESU program for free.

Windows 10 support is ending, but you can receive an extra year of security updates by taking advantage of this program.

As lousy timing would have it, Microsoft's handy media creation tool to facilitate clean installations to Windows 11 is having issues on Windows 10 PCs.

You can update Windows through the Settings app on your computer, although your PC probably downloads updates automatically.

Microsoft ended automatic, free updates for Windows 10 users, potentially rendering millions of computers increasingly obsolete.