Microsoft have revealed that support for Windows 10 will run for over 10 years, via a page on the Windows site.
The page states that mainstream support for the platform will continue until October 13, 2020, meaning that active development will continue on the platform until the date. Extended support will continue for another five years, and will end October 14, 2025.
When extended support for operating systems comes to a close, this can often leave them vulnerable, due to a lack of updates and further fixes. Windows XP’s extended support recently ended; therefore systems running this edition now have lowered security, as they do not evolve with arising problems. Windows Vista will lose all support after April 11, 2017, so an upgrade is recommended in the future.
Windows 10 is a free upgrade for all Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, therefore it is strongly suggested you upgrade soon. The free upgrade offer is only active for one year, and will extend support for these devices. If you stay on Windows 7 or Windows 8 and do not upgrade, support will end January 12, 2020 and January 10, 2023 respectively.
It is still unclear what is planned for the future, after the mainstream support for Windows 10 comes to an end. Lifetime support has been promised beforehand, and raises many questions. When updates release the support time frame could increase, but still ending support for earlier builds of Windows 10.
For a full guide on upgrading to Windows 10, take a look at our guide which helps you reserve your free copy, and prepare your PC for the release.
Source: IGN
Matt was a regular ICXM contributor in 2015, publishing 110 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @RTEnvi.