Until October 2025 when the OS is going dark

Nov 17, 2021 18:35 GMT  ·  By

Now that the November 2021 Update is finally available, Microsoft can introduce new changes for the way it supports Windows 10.

Given Windows 11 is already on the market, Microsoft has announced that devices not eligible for the free upgrade to the new OS can continue to use Windows 10 until October 2025.

The support of Windows 10 will therefore continue for four more years just like before, only that today, the company announced more changes on this front.

Instead of two feature updates released every year (in the spring and in the fall), Microsoft will only ship a single update for Windows 10 every 12 months.

One update per year

In other words, now that the November 2021 Update is live, the next major feature update for Windows 10 is scheduled to land in the fall of 2022.

“We will transition to a new Windows 10 release cadence to align with the Windows 11 cadence, targeting annual feature update releases. We are now renaming the servicing option for releases to the General Availability Channel starting with the November 2021 Update (Note: this replaces the previous “Semi-Annual Channel” term for the servicing option),” Microsoft announced today.

“The next Windows 10 feature update is slated for the second half of 2022. We will continue to support at least one version of Windows 10 through Oct. 14, 2025. As a second half (H2) of the calendar year release, Home and Pro editions of the November 2021 Update will receive 18 months of servicing and support, and Enterprise and Education editions will receive 30 months of servicing and support beginning today.”

The rollout of Windows 10 November 2021 Update takes place in stages, so not everybody is getting it on day one, with Microsoft using a phased rollout for computers across the world.