What happens to all the Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11 in 2025?

Microsoft released Windows 11 in late 2021 and shifted the development focus from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Customers with Windows 10 devices can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, but not all Windows 10 devices can upgrade as Microsoft changed the requirements of the new operating system. .

While it is possible to circumvent the requirements, it opens up a can of worms, as some features may not work properly or at all, and because in the future some updates may not be able to be installed via Windows Update on incompatible devices.

Most Windows 10 devices that don’t meet the minimum system requirements will stay on that version of Windows, but what happens when Windows 10 runs out of support in 2025? Microsoft lists October 14, 2025 as the retirement date for Windows 10 Home and Pro (basically all consumer versions of Windows 10). Some users will surely replace their devices with new ones, which will probably include Windows 11 or at least be compatible with the new operating system.

Millions of devices will still be in use by 2025, and these cannot be officially upgraded to Windows 11, as Microsoft will not only take chances with the system requirements of the new OS. Some users can upgrade to Windows 11 without going through the restrictions.

The main problem Windows 10 users will run into in October 2025 is that Microsoft will no longer create security updates for the operating system. Windows 10 devices will continue to work as before, but there will be security issues that Microsoft will not fix after the last patch day on October 14, 2025. Other companies, including 0Patch, may step in and produce some security updates for Windows 10, but the company will not release patches for all issues and some may not be released for free.

Continuing to use Windows 10 after October 2025 may still be a valid scenario, for example, if the PC is not connected to the Internet or if your security settings block most attacks before they can do any damage.

Most Windows 10 users whose devices aren’t compatible with Windows 11 have two main options if they want to continue using the device:

• Upgrade to Windows 11, skipping the system requirements check in the process.
• Switch to Linux.

Upgrade systems incompatible with Windows 11

Both options are not ideal from the perspective of a user who wants as few interruptions as possible. The first option, the unsupported upgrade to Windows 11, brings most of the installed programs and settings back to the Windows 11 system. Most programs continue to work and data is not lost.

The main problem with the approach is that it is not officially supported by Microsoft. While Microsoft has posted update instructions for incompatible devices, it warns users that their devices “could malfunction” and “will no longer be guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates.”

The official disclaimer even states that the damage is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty and the PCs will no longer be supported in any way.

This PC does not meet the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11; these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher-quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may cause compatibility issues. If you continue with the installation of Windows 11, your PC will no longer be compatible and you will not be entitled to receive updates. Damage to your PC due to lack of compatibility is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

Windows Update works fine right now on incompatible Windows 11 devices, but there’s a chance this won’t be the case in the future. Feature updates especially can be problematic to install, as users may need to bypass the restrictions again before they can be installed.

Make the switch to Linux

The second option users have is to make the switch to Linux. The change requires more research and work on the part of the user: a Linux distribution must be chosen for that, which may require some testing before making the move. Most Linux distributions can be run as Live systems, which will not affect data on PC hard drives.

Here are the main issues users will experience:

• The files must be manually migrated to the Linux system. It’s a good idea to back up important data before making any changes to a system. The use of an external hard drive or an internal hard drive is recommended.
• Many applications will not run under Linux; this depends on the programs used in Windows, and programs like WINE can help, but there is a good chance that some programs may not run at all.
• There is no data migration between programs, unless the programs support synchronization.
• Management, administration and management is different, and you have to learn it. Many modern Linux distributions require little or no knowledge of the command line. While it’s recommended for advanced users, most regular users don’t need to worry too much about this if they choose a beginner-friendly distro.

Now you: Are you running Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11? What are you going to do?

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