Johannesburg – Despite Microsoft's ongoing push to make Windows 11 the norm, I'm still using Windows 10 every day and have been holding back the upgrades for good reason.
There may not be any sophisticated designs or the latest bells or whistles,
Windows 10 continues to offer stability, compatibility and familiarity, making it difficult to beat.
Stability than Style: Windows 10 works
With years of updates and improvements, Windows 10 has matured into a solid operating system.
I rarely encounter bugs or crashes. Everything from drivers to third-party apps works fine.
That reliability is important to me, especially since I use my PC for both work and personal tasks.
In contrast, Windows 11 is still evolving.
Friends and colleagues who jumped early reported a minor nuisance mix, ranging from Laggy UI elements to specific software compatibility issues.
Many of these bugs are ironed, but they don't have the patience to play Beta Tester.
My hardware is great, but no Windows 11 certification
Microsoft raised the eyebrows with strict Windows 11 hardware requirements.
With a fast SSD, 16GB of RAM and an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, my laptop runs like a dream on Windows 10.
However, it does not meet the TPM 2.0 requirements for Windows 11.
Do you buy a new machine just to get a new operating system? It's not sitting with me.
Unless you need cutting-edge features for gaming or design work, Windows 10 works fantastically with the latest hardware.
It's fast, responsive and doesn't feel like daily use is becoming obsolete.
The user interface is not that good (sometimes bad)
Certainly, Windows 11 appears to be polished.
The central taskbar, round corners and new icons give it a more Mac-like feel. However, practically, changes often feel cosmetic rather than functional.
For example, you're missing out on the ability to move the taskbar to the top or side of the screen. I used this frequently on Windows 10.
The right-click context menu in Windows 11 is slower and sometimes hides important options behind additional clicks.
The new settings menu is cleaner, but sometimes it can be confusing to navigate.
I feel that Windows 10 is more streamlined for workflows.
Compatibility is still a big deal
I rely on some legacy programs for my work – a tool that hasn't seen any major updates over the years.
On Windows 10, it runs without a hitch. However, while testing them on a Windows 11 machine, I ran into a strange bug and a UI issue.
It was enough to just pause with the upgrade.
Furthermore, we found that Windows 10 is still widely used in many business environments.
If you're working with clients and colleagues who are also on Windows 10, it makes sense to keep them in sync.
Microsoft still supports it – for now
Windows 10 is officially supported by Microsoft until October 14th, 2025.
This means that security updates, patches and basic support is still in place.
The clock is ticking, but you don't need to switch it right now.
I think Microsoft will expand its support in some way, especially for corporate customers.
Even if it isn't, it gives me plenty of time to plan my transition rather than being forced into it.
Final Thoughts
Windows 11 is definitely the future of Microsoft's operating system ecosystem, but for many users, including myself, Windows 10 is still the best choice.
It's fast, stable and familiar.
It does everything I need and doesn't need to buy new hardware just to keep it working efficiently.
If your current setup runs smoothly and safely on Windows 10, you're not embarrassed to stick to what works.
Sometimes the cleverest move is to wait – and now I don't change in a hurry.
