Windows 10 vs. Windows 11: Upgrade now or wait for Windows 12?
Over 400 million PCs are still running Windows 10. As of October 14, 2025, they no longer receive any security updates. This is not an abstract threat but a concrete risk for anyone who does online banking, stores sensitive data, or simply wants to work securely. But is switching to Windows 11 even worth it anymore? Or are you better off waiting for Windows 12?
The short answer: waiting for Windows 12 is not an option. The system will arrive in 2026 or 2027 at the earliest. Until then, you're stuck on an insecure operating system. But the long answer is more complicated. Because Windows 11 has real advantages, but also annoying limitations. I'll show you what has really changed and how to make the best decision for your PC.
The end of support: why October 2025 is a hard cutoff
Microsoft officially retired Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. That sounds harmless at first. After all, your PC keeps running. But here's the catch: hackers have been collecting so-called zero-day exploits for months. These are security vulnerabilities that they deliberately hold back in order to exploit them en masse after the end of support.
My experience in the industry shows that the first few weeks after an EOL date are especially critical. Attackers know that millions of unpatched systems are online. From now on, a Windows 10 machine on the network is a barn door left wide open.
For businesses it gets even trickier: the GDPR trap
What is a security risk for private individuals quickly becomes a legal problem for entrepreneurs and the self-employed. Article 32 of the General Data Protection Regulation requires that personal data be protected according to the "state of the art".
The consequence is uncomfortable: anyone who still runs Windows 10 without ESU connected to the internet after October 2025 and processes customer data is acting negligently. If data is then actually stolen, you face not only the damage from the hack itself. Data protection authorities can also impose fines. And those are, as is well known, not exactly lenient when it comes to GDPR violations.
For IT departments and freelancers, this means: the upgrade to Windows 11 is no longer just a matter of taste. It's a compliance requirement.
Microsoft offers a way out: For 30 dollars you can Extended Security Updates buy. This extends protection by one year, until October 2026. For businesses it gets more expensive: 61 dollars in the first year, then the price doubles each year. That's Microsoft's way of saying "Finally switch over".
Windows 11 Home vs. Pro: what do you really need?
Before we talk about switching, let's clear up a question I get all the time: Home or Pro? The two versions run on the same kernel. Pro is essentially Home with unlocked extras. But which extras do you need?
BitLocker is the biggest difference. The Home version does have device encryption, but it forces you to use a Microsoft account. The recovery key then ends up in the cloud. With the Pro version, you control everything yourself. You can encrypt individual partitions, secure USB sticks, and store the key locally.
Remote Desktop works in Home only as a client. You can connect to other PCs, but no one can connect to your PC. Anyone who wants to access their home machine while away needs third-party tools like TeamViewer with the Home version.
Group policies are only available in Pro. That sounds like enterprise stuff, but honestly: I use them regularly to delay Windows updates or turn off annoying features. With Home you have to mess around in the registry. That's error-prone and takes forever.
My opinion: For pure home PCs, Home is enough. As soon as you work professionally or care about data protection, go with Pro.
Why Microsoft is forcing you to buy new hardware
Here's where it gets interesting. Windows 11 has hardware requirements that exclude millions of working PCs. You need at least an 8th-generation Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 2000. On top of that, a TPM 2.0 chip and UEFI with Secure Boot.
The hidden reason for the CPU restriction
The official explanation is "security". But I took a closer look. The real cause is Intel's Thread Director technology. From the 12th generation onward, Intel combines fast performance cores with energy-saving efficiency cores. Windows 10 can't handle this well. The old scheduler distributes tasks inefficiently and wastes performance.
Windows 11 works closely with the Thread Director. Foreground tasks land on the fast cores, background services on the energy-saving ones. The result: better performance at the same power consumption. But this optimization only works with newer hardware.
Benchmarks confirm the picture. On modern processors, Windows 11 gets significantly more out of them. On older systems, Windows 10 can even be faster, because it lacks the overhead from security features like VBS. One test showed up to 33 percent better performance under Windows 10 on an older system.
The bypass method: installing Windows 11 on old hardware
Yes, you can get around the restrictions. Microsoft even half-heartedly tolerates it. But there are risks.
Rufus is the most popular tool for this. You use it to create a USB stick that disables all hardware checks. The installation then also works on PCs with TPM 1.2 or unsupported CPUs. In my detailed article Installing Windows 11 without TPM: how to bypass the hardware restriction I show you step by step how this works.
You should be aware of the consequences: Microsoft displays a watermark on the desktop. Major updates like version 24H2 don't come automatically. You have to force them manually. And theoretically, Microsoft can turn off the tap at any time and refuse security updates. As of December 2025 this isn't happening yet, but the threat is on the table.
For tech-savvy users this is a viable path. For everyone else: too risky.
Windows 11 24H2: the good and the bad sides
The current major update brings real improvements, but also annoyances.
Recall is the most controversial feature. The function regularly takes screenshots and analyzes them with AI. You can then search through your own PC history like in a search engine. After massive criticism, Recall is now opt-in. You have to actively turn it on. The data is stored encrypted and requires Windows Hello to unlock. Still: anyone who doesn't want this needs to be careful.
Snap Layouts finally make window management usable. You hover the mouse over the maximize button and see various arrangements. This is especially handy on a laptop with an external monitor. Windows remembers window positions when you undock and restores them.
Virtual desktops have also received an upgrade. You can finally rename them now. Sounds trivial, but for me it was a game-changer. One desktop is called "Work", one "Research", one "Personal". Before, I had to guess which desktop was which.
The taskbar is still restricted. You can no longer move it to the side. Tools like ExplorerPatcher, which used to fix this, no longer work reliably with 24H2. Microsoft removed the legacy code. For me personally this is annoying, because I had the taskbar on the left.
The good news: with tools like PowerToys you can still customize Windows 11 properly. But that's material for a separate article.
WordPad is history. Microsoft removed the editor entirely. The Windows Subsystem for Android is also gone. Anyone who wanted to use Android apps under Windows is facing a dead end.
Why "waiting for Windows 12" is not a strategy
I hear this idea constantly: "Skip Windows 11 and switch directly to Windows 12." That sounds clever. But it isn't.
The timeline argues against it
Experts like Zac Bowden from Windows Central assume a release in 2026 or 2027 at the earliest. Microsoft officially designated 2025 as a "Windows 11 refresh" year. Version 25H2 is coming, but no Windows 12.
So between the end of support for Windows 10 and the release of Windows 12, one to two years pass. During this time you're using an insecure operating system. Every day. That's like driving a car without brakes and hoping nothing happens.
Windows 12 will have the same hardware requirements
If you're hoping Windows 12 will run on older PCs again: forget it. The requirements will tend to get stricter. Microsoft is pushing AI features that need dedicated NPUs. The current hardware threshold is the new normal.
What you should do now: my concrete recommendations
Is your PC from 2018 or newer? Upgrade to Windows 11 now. The teething troubles have been fixed, the security advantages outweigh the drawbacks. You have time to get used to the new interface before it becomes mandatory.
Is your PC older but still capable? You have three options:
- Buy new hardware. A PC with Windows 11 Pro doesn't cost the world and runs stably for ten years.
- Use the bypass. Install Windows 11 with Rufus at your own risk. Doable for tech-savvy users, not recommended for everyone else.
- Buy time with ESU. The 30 dollars for Extended Security Updates get you to October 2026. After that, new hardware is needed.
Want Windows 11 Pro, but don't want to pay the Microsoft price? Used licenses from the secondary market are a legal option. The European Court of Justice confirmed in the 2012 UsedSoft ruling that reselling software licenses is legal. This also applies to Windows and Office. At Keywi you get exactly that: verified, legally sound licenses with traceable origin and real support if something doesn't work out.
The honest assessment: Windows 11 is better than its reputation
I was skeptical myself. The new taskbar still annoys me to this day. But after more than a year of use I say: Windows 11 is the better system. The security architecture is more solid. The window management saves me time every day. And on my current machine everything runs noticeably smoother than under Windows 10.
The hardware restriction is annoying, but understandable from Microsoft's perspective. Old CPUs can't use modern security features like VBS and HVCI without massive performance losses. That would have led to frustration.
My advice: take the switch as an opportunity. If your PC meets the requirements, there's no reason to wait. If not, plan the hardware switch by October 2026. Speculating on Windows 12 is gambling with your IT security.
The price check: what does switching really cost?
The good news: the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is free, if your PC meets the requirements. You keep your programs and data.
If you want to switch from Home to Pro, Microsoft officially charges around 100 euros. At Keywi you get Pro licenses around 30% cheaper, legally sound and with support.
For new hardware you should budget between 400 and 800 euros if you want a decent office PC. But a well-chosen PC easily lasts seven to ten years today. That puts the price into perspective.
The hidden advantage: DirectStorage
If you also game on your PC, Windows 11 has an ace up its sleeve. DirectStorage allows games to load data directly from the NVMe SSD into graphics memory. The detour via CPU and RAM is eliminated. The result: drastically reduced loading times in supported games.
A loading process that still takes eight seconds under Windows 10 loads in under three seconds with Windows 11 and DirectStorage enabled. Not every game supports the feature, but the list is growing.
Auto HDR is the other gaming advantage. Windows 11 automatically upscales SDR games to HDR if you have a suitable monitor. Older titles suddenly get richer colors and better contrasts. Without the developers having to do anything.
The license topic: what to watch out for when buying
Many of my readers ask about cheap Windows licenses. Here the legal situation is clear: the European Court of Justice decided in the UsedSoft ruling that used software licenses may be resold. This also applies to volume licenses from company liquidations.
But not every provider on the web is reputable. Watch out for the following points:
- The seller must be able to document the origin of the license
- You need an invoice with VAT shown
- The license must only have been activated once before you buy it
- Stay away from 10-euro offers, they are usually gray-market or illegal
At Keywi you automatically meet all these criteria. Depending on the version, you pay between 60 and 70 euros for Windows 11 instead of the Microsoft price. And you get legal certainty plus a guarantee on functionality. The difference from eBay bargains: we can prove the origin of every license and stand behind it with our name.
My personal setup and why it works
I've been working with Windows 11 Pro on a Ryzen 5 7600 system since 2024. The installation went smoothly. BitLocker encrypts my work partition. Windows Hello unlocks the PC with a fingerprint. I use Snap Layouts daily for research on one half of the screen and word processing on the other.
What also didn't surprise me: idle memory usage is higher than under Windows 10. With 128 GB of RAM I don't notice it, but on 8 GB systems it could get tight. If you're short on cash, you shouldn't skimp on RAM when upgrading hardware.
With PowerToys and a few registry tweaks I've bent the system into the shape I need. Not perfect, but bearable. Microsoft is supposedly working on more flexibility for the taskbar, but I'll only believe it when I see it.
As of December 2025: Windows 11 is mature. The big bugs of the early days have been fixed. The switch makes sense. The sooner you tackle it, the more relaxed it will be.
