Is Windows 10 HIPAA Compliant?

The answer is: it’s complicated — Microsoft Windows 10 can be used in a way that supports compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), but Windows 10 itself is not automatically “HIPAA compliant” out-of-the-box, and whether you meet HIPAA compliance depends heavily on how you configure, maintain, and support it.

When Windows 10 can support HIPAA compliance

• The technical safeguards required under HIPAA (such as access controls, audit logging, encryption, integrity checks, secure transmission, etc.) can be implemented on Windows 10 — for example, using full disk encryption, strong user access management, logging/auditing of access, secure configuration, etc.
• For certain editions (Windows 10 Enterprise or Pro — not Home) Windows 10 has a security architecture that, when properly configured, can “assist healthcare entities with HIPAA security and privacy compliance.”
• Historically, there has been cooperation between Microsoft and a third-party HIPAA/security firm (HIPAA One) to produce guidance on configuring Windows 10 in a HIPAA compliant fashion.
• The legislation/regulation itself (the HIPAA Security Rule) does not mandate a specific operating system. What matters is that any system storing or processing Protected Health Information (PHI) meets the required safeguards.

So — yes, a properly configured Windows 10 installation can be used in a HIPAA compliant environment.

But Windows 10 is not automatically HIPAA compliant, and significant caveats apply

• The default installation of Windows 10 does not guarantee compliance. Without careful configuration — enabling encryption, disabling unnecessary telemetry/sharing, locking down access controls, auditing, etc. — it may fail to meet HIPAA technical safeguards.
• Compliance depends heavily on how you use the system: physical safeguards (secure workstations, device control/disposal, etc.), administrative safeguards (policies, training, risk assessments), and operational–policy safeguards are still required. OS capability is just one piece.
• IMPORTANT: as of October 14, 2025, Windows 10 has reached “end of support” from Microsoft — no more security patches, no more updates.
  • That has major implications: an unsupported operating system with unpatched vulnerabilities significantly undermines the “reasonable and appropriate security measures” requirement under HIPAA.
  • Many compliance-advisory bodies now consider continued use of Windows 10 (post EOL) as non-compliant under HIPAA, because it fails to meet the ongoing risk-management and security-maintenance obligations.
• Also: while some of Microsoft’s cloud services (for example: certain Office 365 / Azure services) are covered under a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA), that doesn’t apply to any Windows desktop Operating Systems.

What this means in practice

• If your organization still uses Windows 10 (post EOL), continuing to handle PHI on those systems likely puts you at significant risk of non-compliance with HIPAA — because you’ll be lacking security updates, exposing PHI to unpatched vulnerabilities, and failing “reasonable safeguard” standards.
• If you do use Windows 10 and must handle PHI: you should have — at minimum — full-disk encryption, strict access and user controls, audit logging, secure disposal policies, ongoing risk assessments, and a plan to migrate to a supported OS (Microsoft Windows 11 or another supported OS) as soon as possible.
• For new deployments or migrations: many compliance-experts strongly recommend moving off Windows 10 because of the EOL.

What to do now (if you care about HIPAA compliance)

1. Inventory all devices/workstations that store or access PHI.
2. Check if they run Windows 10; if yes — plan for a migration to a supported OS.
3. Ensure proper technical safeguards: encryption, user-access control, audit logging, secure configurations.
4. Implement administrative and physical safeguards: policies, training, device control, incident response plan.
5. If using cloud services, ensure a BAA where appropriate, and ensure configuration and usage meets HIPAA requirements.

Conclusion: Windows 10 can be configured to support HIPAA compliance — but it is not inherently HIPAA compliant. As of its end-of-support in October 2025, continuing to use it significantly increases the risk of non-compliance. If you have not moved to Windows 11 or another HIPAA compliant operating system, you should be actively planning your upgrade path before you run afoul of HIPAA regulations.