[German]Regular support for Windows 10 22H2 ends in October 2025. However, users can obtain Extended Security Updates (ESU) for a fee. Microsoft recently announced that the Office apps that come with Microsoft 365 will be provided with security updates for these systems for a further three years.
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Windows 10 end of support and ESU
It has been mentioned several times here on the blog and frequently announced by Microsoft. On October 14, 2025, regular support will end for most Windows 10 systems. Users running Windows 10 22H2 will then receive security updates for the last time.
According to Microsoft, those affected should then switch to Windows 11. However, the switch fails due to the compatibility requirements of Windows 11 on many systems.
For home users, however, Microsoft is offering extended support for Windows 10 22H2 Home for one year at a fixed price of 30 euros. I mentioned this in the blog post Microsoft wants 30 US-$ for 1 year Windows 10 consumer support extension. To my knowledge, however, there is still no Microsoft website where this ESU option can be booked.
Companies even have the option of booking a fee-based Extended Security Update Support (ESU) for three years. This option is available for Windows 10 22H2 Enterprise and starts at 61 US dollars (or euros) in the first year, with prices doubling in subsequent years. I reported on this approach in the blog post Windows 10: Prices for Extended Security Updates announced. Those ESU licenses can bee booked since 2024 via Cloud Solution Provider (CSPs).
I outlined what other options there are for operating Windows 10 securely after October 2025 in the article Windows 10: End of support in October 2025 – Million systems about to be replaced?. ACROS Security even offers 5 years of additional support – which I have explained in more detail in the article Windows 10: 0patch provides 5 years of additional support.
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Another option would be to switch the computers to Windows 10 2021 IoT Enterprise LTSC. This version will receive security updates until the beginning of 2032. However, I am currently trying to clarify how the reader's comment here should be read. Microsoft states in the product terms for its Windows 10/11 IoT Enterprise LTSC operating systems that these OS version may not be used on PCs for general purposes. This is a deliberate attempt to prevent people from using IoT variants, although Windows 10 21H2 IoT Enterprise runs fine within such an environment.
The more relaxed option in this licensing circus is probably to switch to a Linux distribution.
Support for Microsoft 365 Office apps extended
The exciting question now was, what about support for Office applications distributed with Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 with ESU support? In January 2025, there was the blog post Microsoft's Marketing tales: Windows 11 is free for a short time; support for Microsoft 365 app ends in October 2025 for Windows 10, which dealt with the state of knowledge at that time regarding support for Microsoft 365 apps.
In the support article What Windows end of support means for Office and Microsoft 365, Microsoft stated that Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported on Windows 10 after the end of support on October 14, 2025.
Microsoft must have been reading this blog. The support article Windows 10 end of support and Microsoft 365 Apps, was updated to May 8, 2025. It still states that Microsoft 365 requires the use of Microsoft 365 on a supported Windows operating system in accordance with the Modern Lifecycle Policy. The applications (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) will continue to work. However, there may be performance and reliability problems when running Microsoft 365 apps on unsupported operating system versions.
If Microsoft 365 apps are installed on Windows 10 systems, these devices should be converted to Windows 11 in companies, writes Microsoft. To maintain security during the transition to Windows 11, Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 for three years after the end of support for Windows 10. These updates will be provided through the standard update channels and will end on October 10, 2028. A similar statement can also be found in the support document What Windows end of support means for Office and Microsoft 365.
Similar articles:
Windows 10: Surprise, there is an ESU support extension; also for private users
Windows 10: Prices for Extended Security Updates announced
Microsoft wants 30 US-$ for 1 year Windows 10 consumer support extension
Windows 10: 0patch provides 5 years of additional support
Windows 10: End of support in October 2025 – Million systems about to be replaced?
Microsoft's Marketing tales: Windows 11 is free for a short time; support for Microsoft 365 app ends in October 2025 for Windows 10
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