Mainstream support ended on October 13, 2020 Extended support will end on October 14, 2025
All LTSC loT, and all LTSC/LTSB of 2019 and older variants of Windows 10 are unsupported 10 years or 5 years after release
Paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) support for version 22H2 until at most October 10, 2028.
Windows 8 users (except those using Windows Embedded 8 Standard) had to install Windows 10 to continue receiving updates after January 12, 2016
Exceptions exist for LTSC versions & other editions, along with some hardware configurations,
until at most January 9, 2035
Windows 10 is a computer operating system by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Windows group of operating systems. It was called Threshold when it was being developed (made/coded). Windows 10 was announced at a press event on 30 September 2014. It was released for personal computers on 29 July 2015. It is a free update for Windows 8 that can be found in the Windows Store until version 1709.
Windows 10 is designed to provide the same look for different systems. These include desktop, laptop, and other systems.
Unlike earlier versions of Windows, Windows 10 was regularly updated with new features based on user feedback, starting before it was first released. Each release has a four-digit build number. The first two digits (2 numbers) refer to the year of release, and the other two digits refer to the month of release (e.g. "1903" refers to a build released in March 2019).
Windows 10, is by now, the most popular Windows version, at 71.1%.[5] Older versions of Windows 10 (any version before 22H2) are officially discontinued and do not get updated, and Windows 11 is 2nd most popular.
New or returned features
Feature
Present in Windows 8.1
Present in Windows 7
Remarks/Improvements
Return of the Start menu
No
Yes
It is a mix of Windows 8's Start screen with Live Tiles and Windows 7. Basically, combines both into one. This was done due to criticism of Windows 8's removal of the Start menu.
Multiple desktops
No
No
This feature allows users to 'create' multiple desktops in Windows. This feature was first available for Ubuntu and OS X.
Tablet mode
Partial
No
Used on multi-mode (convertible) devices like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3. When a user detaches the keyboard, it changes into a touch-friendly mode and the reverse happens when it is reattached.
Cortana
No
No
A personal digital voice assistant that was first released on Windows Phone 8.1.
DirectX 12
ver 11
ver 11
DirectX updated to version 12. Allows games to run faster in some cases.
Milestones (accomplishments)
30 September 2014 – Windows 10 was officially announced.
2015
21 January – Microsoft announced that most of the devices currently running at least Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 if it is done within the first year.
2 February – Microsoft announced a free version of Windows 10 for Raspberry Pi 2.
2 April – New Office 2016 for Touch preview launched for Windows 10.
18 March – The 5th official update to Windows 10 (Build 10041) since the first was introduced.
30 March – The 6th official update to Windows 10 (Build 10049) was introduced.
15 July – Released to manufacturing (Build 10240)
29 July – General availability (Version 1507)
12 November – November 2015 Update (Threshold 1, Version 1511, Build 10586)
2016
2 August – Anniversary Update (Redstone 1, Version 1607, Build 14393)
2017
5 April – Creators Update (Redstone 2, Version 1703, Build 15063)
17 October – Fall Creators Update (Redstone 3, Version 1709, Build 16299)
2018
30 April – April 2018 Update (Redstone 4, Version 1803)
13 November – October 2018 Update (Redstone 5, Version 1809)
2019
21 May – May 2019 Update (19H1, Version 1903)
12 November – November 2019 Update (19H2, Version 1909)
2020
27 May – May 2020 Update (20H1, Version 2004)
19 October – October 2020 Update (20H2, Build 19042)
2021
18 May – May 2021 Update (21H1, Build 19043)
16 November – November 2021 Update (21H2, Build 19044)
2022
18 October – October 2022 Update (22H2, Build 19045)
Versions
Windows 10 has many versions for different uses, that have different features.[6]
Windows 10 Home is meant for home use. It can be used on desktop, laptop, tablet, and 2-in-1 (mix of tablet and laptop) computers.
Windows 10 Pro is meant for use by big corporations. It adds features on top of Windows 10 Home and is meant for advanced users.
Windows 10 Pro for Workstations is similar to Windows 10 Pro but is meant for workstation use. It allows more Central processing units to be used at a time.
Windows 10 Enterprise is meant for use by small corporations. It adds features on top of Windows 10 Pro.
Windows 10 Education is meant for use in schools, colleges and universities. It is the same as Windows 10 Enterprise, but it doesn't include Cortana.
Windows 10 Mobile, which has now been discontinued (discontinued means no longer available), was meant for mobile devices.
Mainstream support ended on October 13, 2020[8] Extended support until October 14, 2025[8] Extended Security Updates (ESU) support until on October 10, 2028
Windows 10 Enterprise and IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB
Mainstream support ended on October 12, 2021[8] Extended support until October 13, 2026[8] Extended Security Updates (ESU) support until on October 9, 2029
Windows 10 Enterprise, IoT Enterprise, and IoT Core (via IoT Core Services)[12] 2019 LTSC
Mainstream support ended January 9, 2024[8] Extended support until January 9, 2029[8] Extended Security Updates (ESU) support until on January 13, 2032
Mainstream support until January 12, 2027[8] Extended support until January 13, 2032[8] Extended Security Updates (ESU) support until on January 9, 2035
Windows 10 was originally released following Microsoft's fixed lifecycle policy, receiving mainstream support for five years after its original release, followed by five years of extended support. However, starting in February 2018 this was switched to the modern lifecycle policy (excluding LTSC), with each build receiving 18 or 30 (only for H2 versions) months of support after release, depending on edition. Furthermore, Home edition does not support the deferral of feature updates and will thus often receive a new version of Windows 10 prior to the end of the 18-month support period.[13][7]
Microsoft's support lifecycle policy for the operating system notes that updates "are cumulative, with each update built upon all of the updates that preceded it", that "a device needs to install the latest update to remain supported", and that a device's ability to receive future updates will depend on hardware compatibility, driver availability, and whether the device is within the OEM's "support period"—a new aspect not accounted for in lifecycle policies for previous versions.[14][15][16][17] This policy was first invoked in 2017 to block Intel Clover Trail devices from receiving the Creators Update, as Microsoft asserts that future updates "require additional hardware support to provide the best possible experience", and that Intel no longer provided support or drivers for the platform. Microsoft stated that these devices would no longer receive feature updates, but would still receive security updates through January 2023.[18]
Microsoft will continue to support at least one standard Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025.[19][20] On April 27, 2023, Microsoft announced that version 22H2 would be the last of Windows 10, meaning this version will extend beyond the normal 18/30 months of support.[21][22] While the company aimed to discontinue support for Windows 10 by October 2025, it announced an Extended Security Update (ESU) service in December 2023 for Windows 10 devices, until October 2028, for a yet to be announced annual pricing plan. Furthermore, unlike previous Windows ESU services, Windows 10 ESU will be available to individual consumers as well.[23][9][10]
