Microsoft says Windows 10, version 22H2 will be the last feature update to be released for the Windows 10 operating system.
Windows 10 22H2 reached general availability in October 2022 and entered broad deployment on November 18, 2022.
All editions of Windows 10 22H2 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Enterprise editions) will reach their end of servicing in October 2025.
"The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will remain in support with monthly security update releases though that date," said Jason Leznek, Principal Product Manager for Windows Servicing and Delivery.
"We highly encourage you to transition to Windows 11 now as there won't be any additional Windows 10 feature updates."
Users and organizations who must remain on Windows 10 are advised to upgrade their devices to Windows 10 22H2 to keep receiving monthly security update releases through October 14, 2025, when Windows 10 reaches its end of support.
More than 73% of all Windows computers are still running Windows 10, according to Valve's March 2023 survey and StatCounter's Windows market share stats.
More about Windows LTSC releases
As Microsoft shared in a separate advisory published on Thursday, LTSC releases will continue to receive updates beyond October 2025 according to their specific lifecycles.
For instance, Windows 10 LTSC editions will reach the end of mainstream support in January 2027, with the only exception being the IoT Enterprise edition which will be supported until January 2032.
Microsoft also announced what Windows LTSC releases will be released during the second half of 2024: Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC and Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC.
"If you're waiting for a Windows 11 LTSC release, you can begin planning and testing your applications and hardware on the current GA channel release, Windows 11, version 22H2," Leznek added.
"Check out App confidence: Optimize app validation with Test Base for more tips on how to test your applications."
Comments
bluto4x - 11 months ago
"It will reach its end of servicing in May 2024 (Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions) and in May 2025 (Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions)."
According to their documentation, all versions will still be viable through the October 2025 date contrary to their previous 18 month EOS cycle. Did you see it stated contrary somewhere else? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/windows-client-roadmap-update/ba-p/3805227
serghei - 11 months ago
That info was from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/release-information.
However, it looks like Microsoft updated that page to say that all editions will reach EOS on 2025-10-14.
Updated the story accordingly.
bluto4x - 11 months ago
PHEW! I was already planning on a new hardware deployment for 2024, and really didn't need the headache of pushing that up a year.
Not like Microsoft hasn't ever reported incorrect information, right?
fromFirefoxToVivaldi - 11 months ago
That's ok. 22H2 is quite stable and as far as I know doesn't have widespread issues, aside from Windows Store not listing all installed apps in the library and the issues with KB5012170, which can be separately disabled in Show/hide updates troubleshooter.
johnlsenchak - 11 months ago
How can you upgrade your computer(s) to Windows 11 when most don't meet the minimum requirements ? I have one computer that meets the requirements and I haven't upgraded to Windows 11 yet.
Linux is starting to look real good now
h_b_s - 11 months ago
You don't. You buy a new one. That was the main point of the arbitrary hardware requirements. Otherwise you take your chances installing it "unsupported" and have things break should updates and features be released that require certain hardware support. It's likely those features are going to be anti-consumer DRM, ad mongering, and *cough* super dandy fuzzy statistical model backed autocomplete that gets most stuff wrong... erm... I mean AI enabled complete with ads for a new penis pump... *eye roll*
NoneRain - 11 months ago
You can install Win11 on those machines as well, but things might break in the future, since MS doesn't officially support it. The requirements locks are simple to disable, for example, you can utilize Rufus to create a bootable pen drive with Win11 and then install it in any computer.
Anyway, in 2025, users will have to choose between Linux, or replacing their 8yo+ devices.
johnlsenchak - 11 months ago
Anyway, in 2025, users will have to choose between Linux, or replacing their 8yo+ devices."
It appears that a lot of people are not adopting to Windows 11, and according to Intel , people are not buying new computers because their profits have tanked
mammons - 11 months ago
You can do some registry edits. There some decent guides on YouTube for what regedits need to be put in. I have found it to be pretty stable, but try at your own risk.
h_b_s - 11 months ago
Great to hear. At least my PC laptop will not be seeing the misfeatures 11 is gaining every few months. I refuse to update it to 11 even though it's theoretically supported. Dell won't release compatible drivers for it and if Microsoft ever breaks compatibility in some important driver API between 10 and 11 (and they probably will at some point) I'd be screwed.
When 10 reaches EOL, I'll just permanently switch out the NVME card with Windows on it for the one with Linux on it.
tech_engineer - 11 months ago
Does this means they are not going to push ChatGPT into the start menu or other parts of Windows 10 (Except edge) ???
THIS IS GREAT !!!
Sloth - 11 months ago
That's the best news I've heard all week!
Mahhn - 11 months ago
The update is great. One less project at work this year.
mynameisgod - 11 months ago
It's every week there is another reason to hate microsoft even more. Wow.
I'm not "upgrading" to 11 microsoft. I'm not your bitch.
sadsteve - 11 months ago
Windows 8 got me to start using Linux as my main OS. I now only run Windows in a VM (with GPU passthrough) when I want to play a game (that won't run on Linux) and to do photo editing (I just hate Gimp!). With the VM, I can enable a software TPM so Win 11 is doable. I'm testing 11 right now using Open Shell as my start menu (no adds!) and using ExplorerPatcher to give me back all the taskbar features Microsoft removed from 11 taskbar. Been working ok so far.
jmwoods - 11 months ago
"More than 73% of all Windows computers are still running Windows 10"...
I wonder how many of those are Windows 11 "ready".
DrkKnight - 11 months ago
I guess Windows 10 users can expect the "Upgrade to Windows 11" nags with any one of the forthcoming Windows updates soon.
Windows 11 is a dog and once they convince the masses to switch MS will start injecting AI into it , if they already haven't and that is when Windows will become so intrusive it will be unbearable.
Microsoft does not want you to have privacy , they want to sit in your lap while you surf and work and watch every click of the mouse you make which is almost where they are now, thank goodness for the workarounds we have now to stop their telemetry , but I promise, it will get to the point where it will be virtually impossible to get around it.
baronbonger - 11 months ago
This is not good news.
Its also unavoidable and inevitable.
This is news, however obfuscated, that the future "everything as a service" is that much closer to reality
the very limited monetization of Windows 11 should be the most obvious signal that this is coming over the horizon
That, taken with Intel's downright mind numbingly stupid blurting out of this same strategy, to lock down hardware and provide CPU as a service, should not
surprising anyone to this future.
I suppose there is always the possibility that MS will still offer their OS for "Free" as basically a Nielsen box/botnet/backdoor that also plays Minesweeper vaguely well.
Edit:
Its also disheartening to remember that the only viable alternative that exists are:
1) Android
2) OSX (and either walled garden proprietary hardware and severe limitations on hardware customization as currently with Windows and Linux or else psuedo-crippled jailbroken OSX)
Linux, no matter the flavor or distro, simply isnt there yet.
Not ubuntuu. not mint... none of them.
Close? yes. But still not ready.
Sadly some of the demands from consumers that render Linux as unsuitable are the "fault" of Microsoft's conditioning of the population through Windows for decades now.
We expecct GUI experiences that are windows like due to the particular choice of Microsoft's over the years.
These are not technical. They are completely arbitrary "philosophies" and there is no reason why they should not or could not go differnetly.
Nonetheless, any Linux develepers that want to follow Alphabet (Android, Chrome) and release a Linux based OS for the mass market will need to emulate Microsoft
Additionally, the mass market OS hypothetically based on Linux will have to see its security and customizability crippled.... windows-ified..... to get there.
the important criteria that should be measured for suitability is this:
your grandmother or comparable archetype of non-technicalness so severe that they can barely use a mouse and have to index finger point-type with 1 hand.....
that person should be able to zero-config install the OS and get it to the point where a networked printer and ISP gateway can be interfaced and setup with internet connectivity and a test page printable.
all without ever even seeing a terminal or text user interface on the screen.
more generally, Linux for mass market would need to Mouse/Button GUI-ify up to about 98% of its functionality, comparable to where Windows is.... maybe 90%
It should be very easy for "power users" to never use a terminal or rarely.
logical42 - 11 months ago
Sorry, but I have to seriously disagree with you. Have you ever used Linux in a production environment with regular users? I have, for many, many years.
I find your comment about "power users" not using a terminal funny, as it contradicts my experience. The more "power" you are, the more likely that you will use a command prompt.There are many things in Window that are much quicker to do from a prompt than a gui.
My 86-year old dad has been using Linux for years without issues. We've used Linux at work for over 23 years and I've never had issues with new people using a Linux desktop. I've seen far more user issues with Windows than I have with Linux.
TsVk! - 11 months ago
Yeah I'm a sysadmin and use both Linux and Windows terminals consistently.
If anything Windows GUI just keeps getting more fragmented and more difficult to use as time goes by and I've been compelled to learn more powershell and cmd.