Windows 10 feature updates (the new name for what used to be full-version upgrades) are delivered via Windows Update automatically. And that's where things become complicated. The Windows 10 support lifecycle has a five-year mainstream support phase that began on July 29, 2015, and a second five-year extended support phase that begins in 2020 and extends until October 2025.Ī note to that policy qualifies the support commitment to devices where the OEM continues to support Windows 10 on that device. The answer, as announced with the release of the new operating system in July 2015, is no. In the run-up to the release of Windows 10, many wondered whether Microsoft would take the opportunity to change its established 10-year support lifecycle. We might need a whiteboard for this one, because the story is complicated. Here's the rundown on commitments for currently supported client versions of Windows and Office, starting with the newest member of the family. That comes on the heels of a similarly long list of products whose support ended in 2017, including Windows Vista and Office 2007. (For details on the differences, see the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy home page.)Ī long list of Microsoft products have end-of-support dates in 2018. But it's rapidly being supplanted by products like the Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel and Office 365 that follow the Modern Lifecycle Policy. For a few more years, software sold under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy is still alive and kicking. That 10-year support lifecycle is rapidly fading away, as Microsoft moves to its "Windows as a service" and Office 365 subscription models. In this guide, Ed Bott shows you which privacy settings help you create the right balance of privacy and convenience in Windows 10.
Windows 10 privacy guide: How to take control That assurance of support is especially important for business customers, who tend to be conservative in their approach to upgrades. As I've noted before, it's basically an agreement that the company makes with everyone who purchases a license to use its core products, Windows (desktop and server) and Office. Microsoft has a well-established support lifecycle for its software products. If that abbreviated lifecycle seems like a major change from previous versions, welcome to the "Windows as a service" era.
To continue receiving monthly security and quality updates, you need to install a newer feature update from the Semi-Annual Channel. If your organization is running Windows 10, Apmarks an important milestone.įor Windows 10 version 1607 (the so-called Anniversary Update), that date marks the official end-of-service date.