What you need to know
- Microsoft will stop selling Windows 10 through its website after January 31, 2023.
- Windows 10 will remain supported until October 14, 2025, but Microsoft will not allow people to purchase the OS through the company's website after the end of January 2023.
- Retailers will continue to sell Windows 10 in various forms.
Microsoft will shut down its online sales of Windows 10 after January 31, 2023. Following that cutoff date, it will no longer be possible to purchase the operating system to download through Microsoft's website. PC owners will still be able to purchase Windows 10 through other methods, such as official retailers.
Windows 10 first launched in 2015. The operating system has since been replaced by Windows 11, which rolled out in 2021. While Windows 10 is not the newest version of Windows available, it is the most used. According to StatCounter, Windows 10's global market share of 67.95% leads all versions of Windows. The newer Windows 11 only earned a 16.97% market share as of December 2022.
While Microsoft will not allow people to purchase Windows 10 through its website after this month, the operating system will continue to be supported until October 14, 2025. Some PCs do not meet the minimum requirements of Windows 11, so there's a good chance that quite a few systems will remain on Windows 10 until the OS reaches its end of support.
Both the Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro listing pages state the following:
"January 31, 2023 will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale. Windows 10 will remain supported with security updates that help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malware until October 14, 2025."
Microsoft launched Windows 11 in 2021. The new OS features an updated design, new features, and a renewed interest in modernizing the desktop UX at the cost of some classic Windows functionality.
