Microsoft issues Windows 10 death countdown reminder

microsoft-issues-windows-10-death-countdown-reminder
Microsoft issues Windows 10 death countdown reminder
Hand holding Windows 10 logo

Microsoft has reminded users, yet again that support for Windows 10 is coming to an end. You could be forgiven for being tired of hearing about this, but as the cut-off date is very much on the horizon, Microsoft’s eagerness to ensure everyone knows is understandable.

There are now less than two months to go until Microsoft stops issuing updates to Windows 10 for anyone who has not paid for extended support. This is really not long, and while it is hard to believe that there could possibly be anyone who is not yet aware of this, there will of course be some.

Microsoft issued the reminder to start a 60-day countdown to the end of mainstream support. With the company having talked about the October 14 end of support date for so long, it feels somehow surprising that it is now suddenly upon us.

In its reminder, Microsoft says that the October updates will be the latest one that most people will receive. Although the company has given no indication that it would patch a critical bug for non-paying users should something be discovered, but it is not an unheard of scenario; Microsoft has relented in the past in the case of really serious problems.

Goodbye Windows 10

The full message in the message center section of the Windows release health pages reads:

60-Day Reminder: Windows 10, version 22H2 will reach end of servicing on October 14, 2025

On October 14, 2025, Windows 10, version 22H2 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions) will reach end of servicing. October 14, 2025 will also mark the end of support for Windows 10 2015 LTSB and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2015. The October 2025 monthly security update will be the last update available for these versions. After this date, devices running these versions will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

As we shared last October, for the first time ever, you can enroll your personal Windows 10 PC in the ESU program and receive critical and important monthly security updates after support ends in October. See Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for detailed information on the ESU program for personal devices. See Enable Extended Security Updates (ESU) to learn more about the ESU program for organizations.

As always, we recommend that you update your devices to the latest version of Windows 11. For information about servicing timelines and lifecycle, see Windows 10 release information, Windows 11 release information, Lifecycle FAQ – Windows, and Microsoft Lifecycle Policy search tool.

We know that Microsoft really wants everyone to move to Windows 11. The company has made absolutely no secret of this. But there will undoubtedly be people who, for whatever reason – be it preference, finances, lack of awareness, hardware support, or endless other things – stick with Windows 10.

We don’t yet know how many people this might be, but time will tell. The number will certainly shrink over time, but it will be interesting to see the attitude Microsoft adopts to those who do decide to stick with the unsupported operating system.

But there are also some versions of Windows 11 that will not be supported from the same date, October 14. Microsoft has also reminded people:

On October 14, 2025, Windows 11, version 22H2 (Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions) will reach end of servicing. The October 2025 monthly security update will be the last update available for this version. After this date, devices running this version will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

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