Since 14 October 2025, Windows 10 no longer receives free security patches for organisations. Microsoft offers two ways out, both paid. Buying updates year after year, or moving to Windows 11, which rejects a large share of the computers in use. There is a third way, installing Linux on the computers you already have.
Both Microsoft options are expensive
Extended Security Updates (ESU) cost $61 per computer in the first year, then the price doubles every year. Years add up. An organisation with 30 computers that wants patches until October 2027 pays $5,490 if it skipped the first year. And it all stops in October 2028.
Windows 11 requires a TPM 2.0 security chip and a recent processor. Most Intel processors released before late 2017 are rejected. Computers that work well then have to be replaced, along with their licences. According to the French association HOP (Halte à l'obsolescence programmée), about 90% of a computer's environmental impact in France comes from its manufacture.
Prices of other Microsoft products are rising too. Microsoft 365 E3 went up by 8% on 1 July 2026, according to the distributor Azylis.
Keeping Windows 10 without patches is not an option. The French data protection authority (CNIL) lists systems "no longer supported by the vendor" among the practices to avoid.
Linux keeps your computers in service
A computer rejected by Windows 11 usually runs Linux. Zorin OS needs 2 GB of memory and no TPM chip, Windows 11 needs 4 GB. On the same hardware, Linux leaves more resources for applications, and a Lite edition exists for the oldest computers.
Security updates for Zorin OS 18 are free until at least June 2029, and so is the upgrade to the next version. The Core edition costs nothing, with no per-computer licence.
Your staff keep their bearings
Zorin OS keeps the Windows desktop, with the taskbar and menu at the bottom of the screen. .docx and .xlsx documents open and save in LibreOffice. Firefox, Thunderbird and Nextcloud replace the browser, the mail client and OneDrive.
The city of Échirolles has been moving its computers to Zorin OS since 2024. A head of department, on Linux for a year, told France 3 that for her job "it works the same way". We describe this rollout in our article on Zorin OS.
For business software that only exists on Windows, the web version is often enough. Otherwise, a Windows computer or server reached remotely runs it, without keeping Windows on every computer.
The move, step by step
We test each computer model and each printer, run a pilot with a few volunteers, then train users just before the change. The approach is detailed on Moving your computers from Windows to Linux, and staff training on Zorin OS training.
Sources
- Extended Security Updates program for Windows 10, Microsoft Learn
- Windows 11 requirements, Microsoft Learn
- Zorin OS system requirements, Zorin documentation
- Sécuriser les postes de travail, CNIL
- Non à la taxe Windows, HOP
- Échirolles choisit un logiciel libre pour remplacer Windows, France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 15 October 2025