Four hundred million PCs will no longer receive updates when Windows 10 support ends on October 15. Security updates will cease, leaving these machines vulnerable to hacking and incompatible with new applications.
This end of Windows 10 has sparked anger among many, including a coalition that is calling for updates to be extended until 2030. Nevertheless, the Redmond company is granting a reprieve to European users of Windows 10 Family, which amounts to about 220 million PCs. The license can be extended for another year, but it will require a Microsoft account and must be connected to the Internet. If disconnected for over 60 days, users will need to re-register.
The end of Windows 10 is unfair to the 400 million users
Julie Caillard from the organization Stop Planned Obsolescence denounces the lack of communication on the matter, as reported by L’Humanité. “There is an opportunity for European consumers to connect with a Microsoft account to extend the license for another year. But it’s not clear, and it’s puzzling why this is not communicated to the general public. Instead, the company continues to promote new PCs.” This organization is taking a stand against Microsoft and is demanding updates until 2030.
As previously mentioned, a petition has been launched by the organization, calling the end of support a “heist that threatens security, the climate, and purchasing power.” Notably, as of August 2025, 45.6% of the 1.4 billion PCs running Windows still operated on this version, which is set to receive its last updates. At the time Windows 8 was abandoned, only 3% of PCs were affected.
Now, we are talking about 403 million PCs that are incompatible with Windows 11 and will lose their updates, including at least 180 million in businesses and public services. The cost is also significant, amounting to over 10 billion euros, as stated by Stop Planned Obsolescence. Users will either have to purchase a new PC compatible with Windows 11 or pay €26 excluding taxes for the family edition and €52 for businesses. The price is set to double every year until 2028.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has reported record profits for the 2024 fiscal year, with $100 billion. Corinne Henin, a cybersecurity expert, explains that “Windows 11 siphons more data than Windows 10” to train AI.
Is Microsoft giving a boost to its partners?
The expert also notes that Microsoft has partnerships with TPM chip manufacturers like Intel, a required component to upgrade to Windows 11. Therefore, the Redmond company is pushing for the purchase of PCs equipped by its partners. Moreover, there are indications that the company may phase out the teams dedicated to updating Windows 10, especially as 9,000 positions were recently cut globally.
In France, 22% of PCs are at risk, including those in hospitals, schools, municipalities, libraries, and associations. Antoine Guillou, deputy mayor of Paris, states that “Of the 40,000 computers in the city of Paris, 14,000 are not compatible with Windows 11, which is over a third of the fleet.”
Paris will replace 4,000 of the PCs and will pay for the licenses for the remaining 10,000. “The bill is immediate and steep; this is just a temporary measure. When a municipality negotiates with the GAFAM, it’s a bit like David versus Goliath, even when you are Paris,” laments the official.
According to Le Canard enchaîné, the General Directorate of the National Police will replace 18,746 PCs, the Paris Police Prefecture will do so for 4,846 of its PCs, leading to a total bill of 15 million euros. Public service enterprises will pay 2.5 million euros to Microsoft to extend updates for 48,000 posts for another year.
A disaster for cybersecurity but also for the ecology
As mentioned earlier, Windows 10 will expose users to significant cybersecurity risks once its support ends. It’s worth noting that this year, many French institutions have been targeted by cyberattacks, such as Rennes University and hospitals in Normandy and Hauts-de-France.
Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President of Microsoft, justifies the decision to abandon the operating system by saying: “Phasing out old versions in favor of more recent ones is a natural and essential sign to benefit from the latest advancements, whether in security, performance, or innovation.”
The ecological impact is also expected to be catastrophic. The U.S.-based organization Pirg estimates that the abandonment of Windows 10 will generate 725 tons of electronic waste. It’s important to remember that 90% of the carbon footprint of a laptop comes from its manufacturing, which requires intensive mining and thus a lot of water and energy.
Stop Planned Obsolescence has calculated that this mass replacement represents the extraction of approximately 32,000 Eiffel Towers’ worth of raw material. We’re also looking at 70 million tons of greenhouse gases generated. In short, this is a disaster for our planet, in which Microsoft is openly participating without reservation.
Source: L’Humanité
