Windows 11 is the only one of the two still supported by default. Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025, and now receives security updates only for PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates. Windows 11 continues to get monthly patches and an annual feature update. If your hardware qualifies, the upgrade is free and that eligibility, not the feature list, is what actually decides this comparison for most people.
The design differences that dominated coverage when Windows 11 launched matter far less now than the support gap. Below: where each version stands, what genuinely differs day to day, whether your PC qualifies, and what to do if it doesn't. If you want the fuller picture on running Windows 10 past its deadline, see our guide on whether Windows 10 is still worth using in 2026.
Support status: the difference that matters most
| Windows 10 | Windows 11 | |
| End of support | 14 October 2025 (ended) | Ongoing - current versions supported into 2027 and beyond |
| Security updates | Only via ESU enrolment | Monthly, included |
| ESU available? | Yes, into 2027 [VERIFY] | Not applicable |
| Feature updates | None | Annual, plus monthly improvements |
| Free upgrade path | — | Free for licensed Windows 10 users with eligible hardware |
| Licence still activates? | Yes | Yes |
A Windows 10 PC that isn't enrolled in Extended Security Updates still boots, still runs every program it ran before, and stays activated indefinitely. What it doesn't get is patches. That exposure compounds; attackers examine Windows 11 fixes to find the same flaws left open in Windows 10, so the gap widens each month rather than staying flat.
Windows 11 has its own version deadline, and it catches people out. Support attaches to the version, not the name. Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro will reach end of updates on 13 October 2026. That is about ten weeks away, as Microsoft's own servicing notes confirm. Version 25H2 runs to October 2027, and version 26H2 arrives later this year as a small enablement package that mainly extends the support window rather than adding features. You can check where any release stands on the Windows lifecycle page.
Check yours now: press Win + R, type winver, press Enter. On Windows 11 you want 25H2 or later. On Windows 10, only version 22H2 is eligible for ESU at all. If you're behind, our repair upgrade guide covers bringing an installation current without a clean wipe.
Can your PC run Windows 11?
This is the question that decides the comparison, because a large share of people still on Windows 10 didn't choose it. They were excluded by the hardware requirements.
Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0, UEFI Secure Boot, and a processor on Microsoft's supported CPU list, broadly Intel 8th-generation or newer, or AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer. Run PC Health Check to get a definitive answer about your machine, and see Microsoft's full system requirements for details.
The processor requirement is the one that stings. A 2016 workstation with plenty of RAM and cores can fail while a modest 2020 laptop passes, because the cutoff is a supported-CPU list rather than a performance threshold. TPM and Secure Boot are often settings issues, not hardware issues. Many PCs have TPM 2.0, but it is off in firmware. It is a good idea to enable TPM 2.0 in the BIOS. Do this before you decide your PC is not eligible.
On installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware: it's technically possible, and we don't recommend it. Microsoft has made it clear that unsupported installs may not get updates. This repeats the exact problem you want to fix by upgrading. If your PC fails the check, ESU or new hardware are the realistic routes, not a workaround.
What actually differs day to day
Beneath the interface, these two are closer than the visual redesign suggests. The differences that reliably affect how the machine feels:
Interface and Start menu
Windows 11 centers the taskbar and Start menu by default. You can move them back to the left. But you cannot move them to the sides of the screen. The taskbar only stays at the bottom, which is still annoying for anyone who docked it vertically. The Start menu dropped Live Tiles for a static app grid with recommended files beneath. Cortana's taskbar integration and the Timeline feature are gone.
Most of this is cosmetic. The friction it causes is real but front-loaded: it costs a week of adjustment and then stops mattering.
Multitasking
The clearest practical win for Windows 11. Snap Layouts let you hover the maximise button and pick a tiling arrangement, and grouped windows are remembered on the taskbar. Windows 10 has only the original manual snap.
The external monitor behaviour is the underrated part. Windows 11 remembers your window arrangement when you disconnect and restores it on reconnect. This fixes one of Windows 10’s most common daily annoyances, and the feature laptop-plus-dock users notice most.
Performance
Windows 11 prioritises foreground applications for CPU and memory, keeps RAM powered during sleep for faster wake, and uses compression to reduce disk footprint. Microsoft's 2026 work has focused specifically on lowering resource usage so the OS runs better on lower-end hardware that meets the minimum bar.
Set expectations correctly: on the same eligible hardware, the difference is modestly noticeable under load, not transformative. Nobody upgrades and finds a new computer. If speed is the actual goal, our tips to speed up Windows 10 will likely do more for an older machine than any version change.
Gaming
Auto HDR and DirectStorage are Windows 11 features that don't come to Windows 10. On a modern GPU-and-NVMe setup, they're a genuine reason to move. On older hardware, they're irrelevant, because the hardware that benefits is broadly the hardware that passes the compatibility check anyway.
Recovery and reliability
The 2026 additions are worth knowing because they're the sort of thing you only value once something breaks. Point-in-time restore, rolled out broadly in July 2026, rolls the system back to an automatic restore point from the previous 72 hours without a full troubleshooting session. Windows Update also gained scheduled pausing, and there have been substantial Bluetooth and File Explorer fixes across the year. None of this is coming to Windows 10.
What Windows 10 still does better
Worth stating honestly rather than pretending the upgrade is free of loss:
- Live Tiles: if you used the Start menu for at-a-glance information, Windows 11 has no equivalent.
- Taskbar positioning: left, right, and top placement all work on Windows 10.
- Tablet mode: Windows 10's full-screen mode suits some workflows better than Windows 11's touch-target approach.
- Legacy drivers: the real blocker in practice. Audio interfaces, scanners, and specialist peripherals whose vendors never shipped Windows 11 drivers are the most common reason a working machine stays put.
So Which Should You Use?
If your PC passes the compatibility check: Upgrade. The security position isn't close, supported by default versus patched only through a programme with an expiry date. The upgrade is free for licensed Windows 10 users. Back up first, as with any in-place upgrade.
If your PC fails the check: enrol in ESU and plan. Extended Security Updates keep a Windows 10 22H2 machine patched into 2027. Treat that as a migration window rather than a reprieve. Enrolling late doesn't extend coverage; it just shortens it.
If the machine is offline or isolated: staying on Windows 10 is defensible. A PC driving a machine tool or an audio interface with no modern driver isn't meaningfully more dangerous today than it was two years ago, provided it genuinely doesn't touch the internet. End of support is primarily an internet-exposure problem.
If you're buying new or rebuilding: Windows 11, and this is where licence type matters. A Retail licence can be transferred to a new machine; an OEM licence is tied to the hardware it first activated on. Buyers routinely discover this after replacing a PC and expecting the licence to follow. Check which you're buying before you buy, our operating system licences state the type on each listing.
Do you still need a Windows 10 key?
In two situations. Reinstalling a Windows 10 PC you plan to keep still needs a valid key.
There is one practical catch. ESU enrollment requires a genuine, activated, fully updated Windows 10 22H2 install. A machine running on a blocked or dubious key can't enrol, so it can't receive extended updates at all. Or upgrading an older Windows 7 or 8.1 machine as a stepping stone where a direct jump isn't practical.
For anything else, a Windows 11 licence is the better purchase: same activation process, years more support. If you also need productivity software on the rebuilt machine, our Microsoft Office licences cover the current perpetual releases, and Windows Server is there for anyone reading this about a server rather than a desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Is Windows 10 still supported in 2026?
Not by default. Support ended on 14 October 2025. Windows 10 version 22H2 PCs can receive security updates through the Extended Security Updates programme, but unenrolled machines get no patches at all, though they continue to run and stay activated.
Is the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 still free?
Yes, for licensed Windows 10 users whose hardware meets the requirements: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and a supported processor. Run PC Health Check to confirm eligibility. Files and installed applications carry over during an in-place upgrade.
What happens if my PC can't run Windows 11?
Enrol in Extended Security Updates to keep receiving security patches into 2027, and use that window to plan. Installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is possible but not advisable, as Microsoft has indicated those installations may not receive updates.
Will my Windows 10 licence still activate?
Yes. Microsoft's activation servers still validate Windows 10 keys, and a legitimately licensed installation activates normally. Licensing and support are separate systems, the end of one didn't end the other.
Is Windows 11 faster than Windows 10?
Somewhat, on the same eligible hardware. Foreground app prioritisation, faster wake from sleep, and 2026's resource-usage reductions produce a modest improvement — most noticeable under heavy load. It isn't a dramatic difference, and it shouldn't be the deciding factor.
Can I go back to Windows 10 after upgrading?
Only within 10 days of the upgrade, using the built-in rollback. After that window you'd need a clean install, which erases your data. Decide before the 10 days elapse. Our guide to rolling back to Windows 10 covers the process.
Which Windows 11 version should I be on?
Version 25H2 or later. Version 24H2 Home and Pro reach end of updates on 13 October 2026, and Microsoft is already pushing 24H2 Home devices to 25H2. Version 26H2 arrives later this year as an enablement package that extends support without changing much else.
Conclusion
In 2026 this isn't really a feature comparison anymore. Windows 11 gets security updates as a matter of course; Windows 10 gets them only if you've enrolled in a programme with a published end date. Everything else- the centred taskbar, Snap Layouts, Auto HDR is secondary to that.
Run PC Health Check. If it passes, upgrade. If it doesn't, enrol in ESU and use the runway to plan a replacement rather than to postpone one. And whichever you land on, make sure the licence is genuine. On Windows 10 that's what keeps the extended-updates door open, and on Windows 11 it's what keeps the machine activated through the next several versions. Browse our Windows licences when you're ready, or get in touch if you're unsure which type your situation needs.
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