{"slug": "windows-10", "name": "Windows 10", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 19, "warners": 6, "score": 0.75, "rising": 0.02, "first": "2025-11-04", "latest": "2026-10-10", "why": "I am currently on 10 so much that I installed the LTSC version that has support until 2032.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 12, "compare": 0, "warn": 6}, "spark": [0, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I am currently on 10 so much that I installed the LTSC version that has support until 2032.", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Windows 10", "Windows 10 LTSC"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 791844560, "item_id": 49490285, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49490285", "by": "Ylpertnodi", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Windows 10. It's a great system", "excerpt": "I use Windows 10. It's a great system...after you turn off not required services, some basic blocking of telemetry. And, linux doesn't have the software I've used since '85... Linux is still too much faff.", "context": "has used same software since '85", "use_case": "daily work", "switched_from": "", "story": "Stopping the smart TV from being used against you"}, {"id": 760100882, "item_id": 47506305, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47506305", "by": "BitwiseFool", "date": "2026-03-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "At home, I'm still running Windows 10.", "excerpt": "While I have many grievances with Windows 11, I am particularly upset about the taskbar. Back in Windows 10, I used a double-height taskbar positioned at the bottom of the screen. I forget the name of the specific setting, but all windows would appear as their own item, and, the taskbar would ensure that all items retained the same width. The taskbar in Windows 11 is a downgrade in every conceivable way. I can look p", "context": "", "use_case": "home OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft's \"Fix\" for Windows 11: Flowers After the Beating"}, {"id": 749020032, "item_id": 46813752, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46813752", "by": "unnouinceput", "date": "2026-01-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I am currently on 10 so much that I installed the LTSC version that has support until 2032.", "excerpt": "I feel Windows 11 is in the initial phase of Windows 10. Remember beginning of years for 10? Sluggy, clunky, full of bugs? And everybody and their cat was holding to 7? I was the same, I was holding down the fort with 7. This year 7, next year 7 and so on until at one time I, like countless times before, spun a new virtual machine for a client and as usual I had to put 10 in there. Except this time 10 felt faster. No", "context": "does client VM work", "use_case": "host OS", "switched_from": "Windows 7", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 743660848, "item_id": 46478803, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478803", "by": "kshanowski", "date": "2026-01-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Personally I've switched to windows 10 ltsc on my work laptop.", "excerpt": "Glad linux works for many. Personally I've switched to windows 10 ltsc on my work laptop. Main reason for it was the scaling issues with hidpi monitors that I connect/disconnect frequently. I think scaling is better on win and no issues with any blurry app or font or anything related. I also think its faster for my tasks, supports hibernation and has better power management. The other thing was that I'm a tinkerer an", "context": "tinkerer, uses hidpi monitors", "use_case": "work laptop", "switched_from": "Linux", "story": "2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 799332833, "item_id": 49958302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49958302", "by": "skydhash", "date": "2026-10-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "It lasted only three days. It was because of all the pinging from notifications and all the CTA buttons", "excerpt": "I got an old disk with a win10 installation on it. It lasted only three days. It was because of all the pinging from notifications and all the CTA buttons (like Sign in to Onedrive in the settings). It felt like a minefield where a click can blow your whole setup. I wipe the whole thing and installed Fedora. I could tolerate windows if I needed a particular set of software on it, but no way that I could use it as a d", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Turn off Apple Intelligence on macOS 27 and get its disk space back"}, {"id": 755700097, "item_id": 47231256, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47231256", "by": "blindstitch", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I had 6 tweak apps always running to smooth over the endless papercuts.", "excerpt": "By the time I stopped using windows 10 on my daily driver last year I had 6 tweak apps always running to smooth over the endless papercuts. Now that I'm on KDE I don't have to run anything, it's all doable via stock control panels.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver", "switched_from": "", "story": "The beauty and terror of modding Windows"}, {"id": 748774097, "item_id": 46798381, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46798381", "by": "Aldipower", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "That was the worst year of my career, thanks to restricted Windows 10.", "excerpt": "Linux since 1996! In chronological order: Slackware, SuSE, DLD, LSF, Gentoo, Ubuntu (starting with 04.10!), eventually Debian 12, now 13. Back in the days I compiled the kernel myself! :-D Sure, occasionally I used Windows 3.11, 95, 98se, XP, Vista, 7 and 10, but never as my main system. I am a software developer, but also do gaming, video production and audio producing. I never got the discussion, Linux works for me", "context": "software developer", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 748743957, "item_id": 46796497, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46796497", "by": "giancarlostoro", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "you needed Windows Pro in order to make an \"offline\" account", "excerpt": "This was me in 2022 or 2023. I have posted on HN about my shift a few times. I gave up with Windows 10 because you needed Windows Pro in order to make an \"offline\" account, I spent $2000+ for a gaming rig, and I couldn't add new users, one program told me to use the other program which brought me back to the original program... I had to go out of my way, buy a license just to make it work. I just went and installed L", "context": "gamer", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}]}], "who": [{"by": "shevy-java", "context": "Linux user since 2004", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031675", "date": "2026-10-10"}, {"by": "Ylpertnodi", "context": "has used same software since '85", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49490285", "date": "2026-08-29"}, {"by": "ahartmetz", "context": "Linux user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48591969", "date": "2026-06-18"}, {"by": "unnouinceput", "context": "does client VM work", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46813752", "date": "2026-01-29"}, {"by": "nickjj", "context": "recently switched to Linux", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46575540", "date": "2026-01-11"}, {"by": "saberience", "context": "Mac user since 1992", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46499851", "date": "2026-01-05"}, {"by": "kshanowski", "context": "tinkerer, uses hidpi monitors", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478803", "date": "2026-01-03"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["desktop os", "testing", "daily work", "laptop os", "desktop os, old games", "main os"], "compared": [{"slug": "windows-11", "name": "Windows 11", "co": 16, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "ubuntu", "name": "Ubuntu", "co": 5, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "linux", "name": "Linux", "co": 4, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "fedora", "name": "Fedora", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "kde", "name": "KDE", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "debian", "name": "Debian", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "windows-7", "name": "Windows 7", "co": 1, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "cosmic", "name": "COSMIC", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46795864", "title": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49998801", "title": "WSL3 Performance is about 5-60% faster than WSL2 depending on the workload", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49957116", "title": "Turn off Apple Intelligence on macOS 27 and get its disk space back", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495372", "title": "California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49483816", "title": "Stopping the smart TV from being used against you", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48794179", "title": "Phosh 0.56.0", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 3, "warn": 3}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"warn": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"neutral": 3}, "2026-07": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800506801, "item_id": 50031675, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031675", "by": "shevy-java", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still use Win10 for a few things, including testing stuff works there too", "excerpt": "For me Win11 was the final stop. I still use Win10 for a few things, including testing stuff works there too, via java. I switched to Linux in 2004 or so, though.", "context": "Linux user since 2004", "use_case": "testing", "switched_from": "", "story": "WSL3 Performance is about 5-60% faster than WSL2 depending on the workload"}, {"id": 799332833, "item_id": 49958302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49958302", "by": "skydhash", "date": "2026-10-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "It lasted only three days. It was because of all the pinging from notifications and all the CTA buttons", "excerpt": "I got an old disk with a win10 installation on it. It lasted only three days. It was because of all the pinging from notifications and all the CTA buttons (like Sign in to Onedrive in the settings). It felt like a minefield where a click can blow your whole setup. I wipe the whole thing and installed Fedora. I could tolerate windows if I needed a particular set of software on it, but no way that I could use it as a d", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Turn off Apple Intelligence on macOS 27 and get its disk space back"}, {"id": 791940688, "item_id": 49496293, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49496293", "by": "conartist6", "date": "2026-08-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I love that Microsoft is committing a crime by continuing to let me use Win10", "excerpt": "I love that Microsoft is committing a crime by continuing to let me use Win10", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law"}, {"id": 791844560, "item_id": 49490285, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49490285", "by": "Ylpertnodi", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Windows 10. It's a great system", "excerpt": "I use Windows 10. It's a great system...after you turn off not required services, some basic blocking of telemetry. And, linux doesn't have the software I've used since '85... Linux is still too much faff.", "context": "has used same software since '85", "use_case": "daily work", "switched_from": "", "story": "Stopping the smart TV from being used against you"}, {"id": 780715408, "item_id": 48794713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48794713", "by": "shevy-java", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Oddly enough I am using Win10 right now on my laptop.", "excerpt": "Oddly enough I am using Win10 right now on my laptop. On my main computer I use linux but I also got tired having to set up things specifically for the laptop or be locked down in a specific distribution; plus, I also have to run various software on the laptop and when the rest of the class or group uses Windows, and you are the sole Linux person, it feels very lonely. So I fake being a win user in that case.", "context": "Linux user on main computer", "use_case": "laptop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Phosh 0.56.0"}, {"id": 779576337, "item_id": 48723521, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48723521", "by": "pipes", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I did use windows 10 ltsc for quite a few years until I hit a dll issue with an old game", "excerpt": "I'm using ltsc windows 11 and yes it is much better than one of my other pcs which has pro on it. However I did use windows 10 ltsc for quite a few years until I hit a dll issue with an old game that turned out to be unresolvable as far as I could tell at the time. So much so I switched to pro (I have a work visual studio subscription so I have access to all versions of windows for free). I can't for the life of me r", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS, old games", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft Needs Windows Lite"}, {"id": 777471505, "item_id": 48591969, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48591969", "by": "ahartmetz", "date": "2026-06-18", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "and Windows 10 more so", "excerpt": "Windows 8 was stupid with the tablet-optimized UI, but I thought it was OK aesthetically, and Windows 10 more so. Even Windows 11 is \"pretty\" if you don't click the wrong thing and get a legacy dialog from 1...\u221e versions back. I use Linux by the way... but not all Windowses look ugly IMO.", "context": "Linux user", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "What was nice about the UI of Windows 2000"}, {"id": 776597264, "item_id": 48537329, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48537329", "by": "bad_username", "date": "2026-06-14", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Windows 10 with a relatively obscure firewall software", "excerpt": "I use Windows 10 with a relatively obscure firewall software with a per-process/per-service whitelist, and try to not be stupid on the Internet. I also do regular backups. This should cover most of the risk model applicable to me. Has worked so far.", "context": "", "use_case": "main OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 766757056, "item_id": 47922316, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47922316", "by": "shevy-java", "date": "2026-04-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I have Win10 on the computer to my left", "excerpt": "It is time to break free from the microslop tyranny. Now - I use Linux since about 2004 on my main computer, and I have Win10 on the computer to my left, so it is not that I am 100% Microsoft free. But people need more options here; having Microsoft dominate the desktop system for so many decades, has led to issues. This has to change. And Linux has to become much simpler too. This is where it still fails totally.", "context": "Linux user since 2004", "use_case": "secondary computer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11's second-chance setup dialogs hurt IT, drain productivity"}, {"id": 760100882, "item_id": 47506305, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47506305", "by": "BitwiseFool", "date": "2026-03-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "At home, I'm still running Windows 10.", "excerpt": "While I have many grievances with Windows 11, I am particularly upset about the taskbar. Back in Windows 10, I used a double-height taskbar positioned at the bottom of the screen. I forget the name of the specific setting, but all windows would appear as their own item, and, the taskbar would ensure that all items retained the same width. The taskbar in Windows 11 is a downgrade in every conceivable way. I can look p", "context": "", "use_case": "home OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft's \"Fix\" for Windows 11: Flowers After the Beating"}, {"id": 755700097, "item_id": 47231256, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47231256", "by": "blindstitch", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I had 6 tweak apps always running to smooth over the endless papercuts.", "excerpt": "By the time I stopped using windows 10 on my daily driver last year I had 6 tweak apps always running to smooth over the endless papercuts. Now that I'm on KDE I don't have to run anything, it's all doable via stock control panels.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver", "switched_from": "", "story": "The beauty and terror of modding Windows"}, {"id": 749020032, "item_id": 46813752, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46813752", "by": "unnouinceput", "date": "2026-01-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I am currently on 10 so much that I installed the LTSC version that has support until 2032.", "excerpt": "I feel Windows 11 is in the initial phase of Windows 10. Remember beginning of years for 10? Sluggy, clunky, full of bugs? And everybody and their cat was holding to 7? I was the same, I was holding down the fort with 7. This year 7, next year 7 and so on until at one time I, like countless times before, spun a new virtual machine for a client and as usual I had to put 10 in there. Except this time 10 felt faster. No", "context": "does client VM work", "use_case": "host OS", "switched_from": "Windows 7", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 748792801, "item_id": 46799550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46799550", "by": "brudgers", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Windows 10 with updates turned off for stability I use for creative work", "excerpt": "For what it\u2019s worth, I use both Linux for older hardware and Windows for Windows things. I have Ubuntu on two laptops (one also has Windows 10). Windows 11 on one laptop and Windows 10 with updates turned off for stability I use for creative work. Of course the caveat is I don\u2019t have a one-laptop-to-rule-them-all. But the same is true of my mobile devices (Android and iOS). Separating my modes of computer use with ha", "context": "", "use_case": "creative work", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 748774097, "item_id": 46798381, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46798381", "by": "Aldipower", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "That was the worst year of my career, thanks to restricted Windows 10.", "excerpt": "Linux since 1996! In chronological order: Slackware, SuSE, DLD, LSF, Gentoo, Ubuntu (starting with 04.10!), eventually Debian 12, now 13. Back in the days I compiled the kernel myself! :-D Sure, occasionally I used Windows 3.11, 95, 98se, XP, Vista, 7 and 10, but never as my main system. I am a software developer, but also do gaming, video production and audio producing. I never got the discussion, Linux works for me", "context": "software developer", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 748743957, "item_id": 46796497, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46796497", "by": "giancarlostoro", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "you needed Windows Pro in order to make an \"offline\" account", "excerpt": "This was me in 2022 or 2023. I have posted on HN about my shift a few times. I gave up with Windows 10 because you needed Windows Pro in order to make an \"offline\" account, I spent $2000+ for a gaming rig, and I couldn't add new users, one program told me to use the other program which brought me back to the original program... I had to go out of my way, buy a license just to make it work. I just went and installed L", "context": "gamer", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 748476288, "item_id": 46779768, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779768", "by": "layer8", "date": "2026-01-27", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Updates breaking stuff already started when they moved from the security/bugfix-only updates to the add-new-features-into-the-mix with Windows 10.", "excerpt": "Updates breaking stuff already started when they moved from the security/bugfix-only updates to the add-new-features-into-the-mix with Windows 10. That was roughly 10 years ago. For example: https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-on-windows-10-anniversary-install-fail-were-finalizing-a-fix/ These things have been keeping happening.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11's Patch Tuesday nightmare gets worse"}, {"id": 745208640, "item_id": 46575540, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46575540", "by": "nickjj", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Windows 10 was really stable with the same hardware and had no input delay in games.", "excerpt": "I also switched to Linux last month. It hasn't been a smooth experience with my GPU as I'm encountering memory leaks in popular compositors. I also get 150-200ms keyboard input delay in all games using some compositors but not all. I documented as much as I could here https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/gpu-memory-allocation-bugs-with-nvidia-on-linux-and-wayland-adventures. Still, despite all of that when it works it is b", "context": "recently switched to Linux", "use_case": "desktop OS, gaming", "switched_from": "", "story": "I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too"}, {"id": 743997617, "item_id": 46499851, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46499851", "by": "saberience", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "now I think I prefer using my Windows 10 PC over my Mac", "excerpt": "This times 100000. I've been using Mac OS since 1992 and this version (both IOS and MacOS) has had me pulling my hair out more than every other version, and note, I did use OSX 10.0! The first thing I did with Tahoe was go into the System Preferences to try and turn off as much as possible of the new UI because it's the biggest regression in Mac OS history (at least since I've been using Macs). I used to mock Windows", "context": "Mac user since 1992", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "It's hard to justify Tahoe icons"}, {"id": 743660848, "item_id": 46478803, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478803", "by": "kshanowski", "date": "2026-01-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Personally I've switched to windows 10 ltsc on my work laptop.", "excerpt": "Glad linux works for many. Personally I've switched to windows 10 ltsc on my work laptop. Main reason for it was the scaling issues with hidpi monitors that I connect/disconnect frequently. I think scaling is better on win and no issues with any blurry app or font or anything related. I also think its faster for my tasks, supports hibernation and has better power management. The other thing was that I'm a tinkerer an", "context": "tinkerer, uses hidpi monitors", "use_case": "work laptop", "switched_from": "Linux", "story": "2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop"}, {"id": 742091536, "item_id": 46380721, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46380721", "by": "mikewarot", "date": "2025-12-24", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Windows 10, I tried Ubuntu but had to shift back for a working copy of WikidPad", "excerpt": "Windows 10, I tried Ubuntu but had to shift back for a working copy of WikidPad If I use get vibe coding to fix WikidPad, I'll be ready to jump ship.", "context": "", "use_case": "primary OS", "switched_from": "Ubuntu", "story": "Ask HN: What is your primary operating system?"}, {"id": 734012337, "item_id": 45875771, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45875771", "by": "shevy-java", "date": "2025-11-10", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "one computer has Win10 right now, which I use mostly for testing stuff", "excerpt": "Recently the UK bought some old laptops with Win10. I think they handed over to Microsoft +300 million pounds (or within that sum; I don't know how much was attributed to the actual laptops). I think when you get these deals, you get rich, but you are no longer having any real incentive to do quality control. So the whole system breaks down. They do minimum quality control. Plus, a lot of what Microsoft seems to be d", "context": "Linux user", "use_case": "testing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft's lack of quality control is out of control"}, {"id": 732976768, "item_id": 45811048, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45811048", "by": "npteljes", "date": "2025-11-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Win 10 is getting deprecated. I use my install still, but I personally don't recommend it as a new install.", "excerpt": "Win 10 is getting deprecated. I use my install still, but I personally don't recommend it as a new install. https://tech.yahoo.com/gaming/articles/youre-still-gaming-windows-10-150000041.html", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Win11Debloat \u2013 declutter and improve your Windows experience"}]}