here we go again. A zombie news article that should rest last January rises from the grave and walks between us again.
The original story
Just in case you missed the original, here’s a summary: last January, Dozens of high-tech news sites We reported that the free upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is “only a limited time.” In a quote from the same source, they warned that Microsoft had upgraded to Windows 11 and declared that it would need to upgrade to Windows 11 after October 14, 2025 to continue the deadline for Windows 10 support.
Also: How to upgrade “incompatible” Windows 10 PC to Windows 11-2 Free Options
The problem with all of these reports was that they were based on articles by highly junior Microsoft employees posted on an obscure blog for Microsoft’s nonprofit customers. It was not an official announcement, and the day was deleted that day. Microsoft spokesman He told ZDNET’s sister publication PCMAG The blog post “contained inaccurate information and misleading headlines.”
Microsoft official support documents, “The end of Windows meaningful support for office and Microsoft 365” It was published a month ago, but I was so worried. “Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported in Windows 10 after the end of support is reached on October 14, 2025.” That statement is repeated in bold later in the document.
Windows 10 support ends on October 14th, 2025. From that day on, if you are running Microsoft 365 apps on your Windows 10 device, the application will continue to function as before. However, we highly recommend upgrading to Windows 11 to avoid performance and reliability issues over time.
Go back to the news
So why did this zombie story start to appear in my news feed today? I’m responsible ForbesThey are the people standing there, getting their shovels and continuing to cite from inaccurate, long-delated zombie blog posts, screaming about “Microsoft Surprise Deadline U-turns.”
Also, is your Microsoft account still passwordless? Why is it (probably) necessary and how to do it correctly
Today’s fuss is based on a newly published page on Microsoft’s product documentation site. Microsoft Learn: “The End of Support for Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps” This note is included:
To maintain security while migrating to Windows 11, Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 for three years since Windows 10 reached the end of support. These updates will be delivered via the standard update channel, ending October 10th, 2028.
That’s not a surprise. The three-year continuation of Microsoft 365 security updates coincides with the Windows 10 extended security update available to Microsoft enterprise customers. Rebuilding a Microsoft 365 update server is a nightmare. Therefore, while blocking other Windows 10 devices, I only delivered updates to PCs running Windows 10 with an ESU subscription. So everyone gets those updates.
Meaning “not supported”
As I told my colleagues when the original story was announced, “unsupported” means that Microsoft will no longer commit to testing new releases on Windows 10. Sure enough, that’s what the expanded documentation says.
Also: “End of 10” provides hope and help to Windows 10 users who cannot upgrade
This article is aimed at enterprise customers who can open support cases with Microsoft. However, the company warns of three restrictions that apply to incidents, including Microsoft 365 apps running on Windows 10 from October 14, 2025.
- If this issue occurs only with Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 and does not occur with Windows 11 with or without Windows 10 extended security updates, support will ask the customer to move to Windows 11.
- If a customer is unable to move to Windows 11, support will only provide troubleshooting assistance. Technical workarounds may be limited or unavailable.
- With or without enhanced security updates, Microsoft 365 app support incidents running on Windows 10 do not include the option to log bugs or request updates to other products.
It is also worth noting that these options are not available to consumers who run the personal and family versions of Microsoft 365. Security updates are still available on Windows 10, but you can’t expect to get much help if you call support.
Get the top stories of the morning in your inbox every day Tech Today newsletter.
