Run WINDOWS 10 Forever

Not won over by Windows 11? Nik Rawlinson explains how to move Windows 10 to a secure virtual machine that you can keep using after the upgrade

- Nik Rawlinson

If you’re still using Windows 10, it won’t have escaped your notice that Microsoft is keen for you to upgrade to Windows 11. Notifications have been popping up in Windows Update for some time, and recently users have been seeing full-screen adverts urging them to make the switch.

Yet users aren’t exactly rushing to embrace the new OS. According to StatCounter figures from March 2024, Windows 10 is still running on 69% of all desktop computers, with Windows 11 trailing behind at 26.7%. For a free upgrade, that’s a pretty low figure.

There’s no single reason why more people aren’t rushing to Windows 11. In some cases the new OS’s hardware requirements are an obstacle – but we’ve heard from many readers that, even though their PCs are capable of running Windows 11, they simply don’t want the upheaval of an OS upgrade when they already have Windows 10 running just the way they like it.

This is a perfectly respectable position; unfortunately, it’s not one you can sustain forever. Windows 10 reaches the end of its support period in October 2025, after which regular security updates will cease and it won’t be safe to continue using the OS.

But there is a way to keep using your Windows 10 desktop indefinitely, without having to worry about being cut off from updates. The secret is virtualisation: if you make a complete virtual copy of your existing Windows 10 installation you can install Windows 11 – or move to a new computer running the new OS – and keep up to date with the latest security fixes and feature updates, while retaining access to your familiar Windows 10 desktop and applications whenever you need them.

Is it right for you?