Windows 10 version 1709 gets 6 additional months of security updates

Surface Laptop 3 15
Surface Laptop 3 15 (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Windows 10 versions 1709 will get six additional months of security updates.
  • This extends security updates through October 13, 2020.
  • This release was set to hit end-of-life status on April 14, 2020.

Microsoft announced today that it will offer six additional months of security updates for Windows 10 versions 1709. Enterprise and education customers will now be able to continue to receive security updates for Windows 10 1709 PCs through October 13, 2020. That's beyond the original end-of-life date of April 14, 2020.

Microsoft says it decided to make this move in response to uncertainty its customers may be facing around the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. "To ease one of the many burdens you are currently facing, and based on customer feedback, we have decided to delay the scheduled end of service date for the Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions of Windows 10, version 1709," the company said in a blog post. "This means devices will receive monthly security updates only from May to October."

In its explanation of the extension, Microsoft urges businesses to shift to Windows Update for Business so they can receive updates faster. As Neowin points out, the push also means that Windows 10 version 1803 support will end a month after 1709. Windows 10 version 1903 will then lost support a month after 1803.

For more, you can see a full list of support dates in Microsoft's Windows lifecycle fact sheet.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl