Microsoft has introduced that the ultimate day it’ll supply safety assist for Phrase, Excel, and PowerPoint on Home windows 10 will probably be Oct. 14, 2025. Companies that depend on Microsoft 365 apps and use the outdated working system should improve to Home windows 11.
“After that date, should you’re operating Microsoft 365 on a Home windows 10 machine, the functions will proceed to perform as earlier than,” Microsoft mentioned within the announcement. “Nevertheless, we strongly suggest upgrading to Home windows 11 to keep away from efficiency and reliability points over time.”
This is applicable to the subscription model of Workplace, Microsoft 365, and non-subscription variations of Workplace 2021, Workplace 2019, and Workplace 2016. Microsoft says that when a consumer upgrades to Home windows 11, all Microsoft 365 options and safety updates will resume as earlier than they usually can run an Workplace replace to make sure they’ve the newest model.
SEE: What’s Inside Microsoft’s Main Home windows 11 Replace?
This October cutoff may even mark the finish of Home windows 10 assist, becoming a member of Home windows 7, Home windows 8, and Home windows 8.1 within the working system graveyard. Nevertheless, Home windows 10 continues to be the most used Microsoft OS, with 62.7% of the market share as of Dec. 2024. Home windows 11 has simply 34.12% of the market share.
Microsoft calls 2025 ‘the 12 months of the Home windows 11 PC refresh’
Microsoft has dubbed 2025 “the 12 months of the Home windows 11 PC refresh.” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Government VP, mentioned in a weblog submit: “We imagine that one of the vital items of expertise individuals will look to refresh in 2025 isn’t the fridge, the tv, or their cell phone. It is going to be their Home windows 10 PC, and they’ll transfer ahead with Home windows 11.”
The submit is seemingly trying to solicit customers to improve by associating Home windows 11 with its Copilot+ PCs and different AI improvements. Microsoft has additionally tried pestering customers into submission, by displaying full-screen pop-ups suggesting customers improve their machine and switch their recordsdata.
SEE: Microsoft Copilot Cheat Sheet: Worth, Variations & Advantages
Home windows 11 has confirmed a controversial improve as a result of “non-negotiable” requirement that gadgets wanting to take action should have the Trusted Platform Module 2.0, which was introduced in 2021. Microsoft claims that TPM 2.0 “increase(s) the safety baseline” by enabling options like BitLocker, Home windows Whats up, and Virtualisation-Primarily based Safety, that are mandatory for defense in opposition to trendy threats equivalent to ransomware.
PCs manufactured after mid-2016 sometimes assist TPM 2.0, although it may have enabling in BIOS, however solely CPUs launched from 2018 onwards will assist Home windows 11. Older PCs with out TPM 2.0 can not run the OS formally; customers should improve {hardware} or, at their very own threat, bypass necessities utilizing one of many many workarounds found by the Home windows group.
Microsoft providing prolonged safety updates
For many who are set on persevering with to make use of Workplace apps on Home windows 10, there’s yet one more method to do that securely. Microsoft is providing Prolonged Safety Updates to customers for the primary time, which means that for $30, anybody can obtain one further 12 months of “Essential and Necessary safety updates”. Enrollment for this will probably be opened “nearer to the tip of assist in 2025.”
Companies will be capable of pay for as much as three years of ESU. It’s going to price $61 for the primary 12 months however the worth will double for every consecutive 12 months. Enrollment for that is open now and the primary replace will deploy in November.
Those that bought Home windows 10 Lengthy-Time period Servicing Department or Lengthy Time period Servicing Channel may even proceed to obtain safety updates after Oct. 14.