The end of Windows 10
Microsoft will not release any new updates for Windows 10, the company said in a blog post.
The current version of Windows 10, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10. All editions of the operating system (OS) will still be supported with monthly security updates until Microsoft ends its support for the operating system on 14 October 2025.
Windows 10 is still by far the most popular Windows OS, according to GlobalStats StatCounter. 73.48% of users are running Windows 10 compared to 20.94% that are using Windows 11 as of March 2023.
Windows 10 was launched back in 2015 and provided Windows 7 and 8.1 users with a free upgrade to their software.
The operating system returned to a more traditional design as the Start Menu was brought back after a foray into using a tile-based Start screen in Windows 8 and 8.1.
Microsoft’s voice assistant, Cortana, was launched around the same time, security on the systems was enhanced with the launch of Windows Hello, and it began phasing out its Internet Explorer browser in favour of Edge.
There were some teething problems when the update was launched, as many users reported being unable to download or install the update.
Windows 10 has been hugely popular since then.
Slow migration
Windows 11 was launched in October 2021 as an upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft said at the time that the new operating system had a refreshed design, faster performance and better multitasking capabilities.
Yet uptake of Windows 11 has been slow.
There could be a variety of reasons for this. Inertia at corporates is one hurdle, but Windows 11’s controversial hardware requirements is another major issue.
Windows 11 demands a processor and motherboard no older than Intel’s 8th-generation or AMD’s Ryzen 2000 CPUs.
This is because Microsoft has specified that Windows 11 requires a Trusted Platform Module 2.0, a chip typically integrated onto a computer’s mainboard. Upgrading a system’s hardware to support Windows 11 is therefore neither simple nor cheap.
Around 40% of PCs worldwide do not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, according to research by Lansweeper, which analyzed 27 million computers to reach these findings.
A 64-bit 1 GHz or faster processor with two or more cores is required to run Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is also required.
In its blog post announcing that there will be no more updates to Windows 10, Microsoft encouraged users to migrate to Windows 11 now that it has been confirmed that no new features will be added to Windows 10.
If this is not possible, Microsoft has the following advice:
“If you and/or your organization must remain on Windows 10 for now, please update to Windows 10, version 22H2 to continue receiving monthly security update releases through October 14, 2025.
Loading ...