If you’re looking to buy a copy of Windows 10 from Microsoft, this is your last chance.
The sale of Home and Pro versions of the operating system will end on January 31, 2023, after which only Windows 11 will be available.
However, nothing has changed in Windows 10 support. All users will continue to receive security updates until October 2025, and new features may even be added until then.
The fact that Windows 10 will no longer be available to buy isn’t nearly as significant as it sounds. Here are four main reasons why.
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1. It will continue to be available from other retailers
That January 31 deadline is specific to Microsoft itself. Windows 10 has been available from multiple third-party vendors throughout its lifetime, and that’s not expected to change any time soon.
In the US, you can still buy Windows 10 from the following vendors:
In the UK, the retailers to choose from are:
Remember that installing Windows 10 first is the easiest way to get a free upgrade to Windows 11. But you don’t necessarily have to pay for it.
2. You can still get Windows 10 for free
When Windows 10 was released in 2015, Microsoft offered a free upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8. It technically expired a year later, but remains live and operational in early 2023.
To get it, just go to the Windows 10 downloads page on the Microsoft website. Under “Create Windows 10 installation media”, click “Download tool now” and run it like any other app.
Select “Update this PC now” if you are using the device you want to update, or “Create installation media” if you want to update a different device or multiple devices.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Learn more about how to get Windows 10 for free.
3. Windows 10 (or 11) is pre-installed on new devices
If you bought a Windows laptop or pre-built desktop between 2015 and 2021, chances are it came with Windows 10 pre-installed. Support lasts until October 2025, so you don’t need to purchase Windows 11 just yet unless you want to – the upgrade is free.
But any devices released since October 2021 will likely use Windows 11 instead. You can downgrade to Windows 10 if you don’t like it, and both will be fine for a while.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Building your own PC can make it harder to get your hands on a copy of Windows 10. But it’s far from impossible, as we’ve explained.
However, if for some reason you are still using an older version of Windows, it is important to upgrade to at least Windows 10 as soon as possible.
4. You shouldn’t be using Windows 7 or 8 anyway
Microsoft generally supports each major version of Windows for about a decade, but the deadlines for Windows 7 (January 2020) and Windows 8 (January 2023) have now passed.
If you didn’t ignore the warnings, you’ve now upgraded to Windows 10 or 11. Continued use of older versions is a serious security risk that leaves you vulnerable to bugs or other vulnerabilities that Microsoft will not fix.
Even if Microsoft continued to sell Windows 10 beyond January, that wouldn’t be a reason to ever go Windows 7 or 8. There is no need to get Windows 10 now as you probably already have it. If not, this deadline does not change anything.
