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Windows 10 Turns 10 as Microsoft Prepares to End Free Updates

Widespread Windows 10 use at parity with Windows 11 underscores the urgency for users to prepare for the October 14, 2025 support cutoff.

Adding people to your Taskbar was a cool idea in theory, but the execution was terrible.
Takuya Hirano, president and chief executive officer of Microsoft Japan Co., speaks during Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 10 operating system product launch in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.
After a strong decade, Windows 10 will probably go down as one of the best operating systems in history.
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Overview

  • Microsoft will end free regular support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025; security updates will only continue through the Extended Security Updates program until October 13, 2026.
  • Its minimal hardware barriers and semiannual update model fueled Windows 10’s rise to become Microsoft’s most widely used OS version.
  • Windows 11’s adoption was initially slowed by TPM 2.0 and CPU requirements but has surged in recent months to match Windows 10’s install base.
  • Windows 10 introduced Microsoft Edge, Windows Hello biometrics, the Action Center and the open Windows Insider program that shaped its decade of updates.
  • The OneCore strategy promised a unified experience across PCs, tablets, phones, HoloLens and Xbox, although most cross-device initiatives were later dropped.