While Windows 10 will continue to be supported for some time, licences for the operating system will soon no longer be available through the Microsoft website.
As originally reported by PC World, we may be in the final days of buying digital licences for Windows 10 through Microsoft, the most official route for buying such licences (although you can buy licences elsewhere).
Over on the U.S. pages for Windows 10 Home, Professional and Aorkstation, a piece of text reads: “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.” A link is provided to the Windows 11 page.
On the Australian page meanwhile, there is no warning: just a link to the Windows 11 page. It’s highly unlikely that Microsoft wouldn’t make this change on a global scale, but we’ve reached out to Microsoft Australia for clarification.
Windows 10 will likely continue to be available for download (for installing the OS or installation media), as it’ll be updated until October 14, 2025, but the licence download seems to be nearing its end.
It’s pretty obvious that Microsoft is attempting to migrate prospective Windows 10 buyers over to Windows 11. Much like the annoying pop-ups that appear from time to time that encourage you to upgrade to Windows 11, this is one of the things the company is deploying to move its user base on.
And, to be honest, it’s not a bad thing – Windows 11, that is. I’ve been using Windows 11 for almost a year now across all three of my computers and I really like it. It mostly feels the same, but there are a few features here and there that I really love.
It’ll eventually become the standard Windows operating system anyway, so it’s worth upgrading at some point.
If you’d like to buy a Windows 10 licence after January 2023, you’d likely be able to buy a physical one at a tech retailer or through a third party vendor online (though be wary of scams).
But it is a shame that users will no longer be able to buy digital licences for Windows 10 through Microsoft. Some people might prefer that operating system and how it feels compared to Windows 11.
But this is what Microsoft always does. Except for when it cooks an OS, like with Windows 8.
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