Lifecycle FAQ - Windows

Windows products are governed by both a Modern Lifecycle Policy or a Fixed Lifecycle Policy. Search for the product lifecycle for your specific Windows product and its corresponding Lifecycle Policy and end-of-support dates.

A Windows quality update is an incremental monthly update to Windows products that includes bug fixes, feature improvements, and security issue resolutions.

A Windows feature update is an annual update that contains new features. A feature update also includes all previous quality updates, as applicable.

Go here for more information on these terms.

To receive monthly quality updates, customers must be on a supported version of Windows. Go here for support dates.

Windows quality updates are cumulative, with each update built upon the quality updates preceding it.

Each version of Windows adds new features and functionality. Occasionally, Microsoft may no longer develop (this is known as deprecation) or remove certain Windows features and functionality. See below for links to specific changes by product.

Windows 11

• Windows 11 Feature Deprecations and Removals

Windows 10

• Windows 10 features we're no longer developing - Windows Deployment
• Windows 10 - Features that have been removed - Windows Deployment

Windows Server

• Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2022
• Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server, version 1903 and Windows Server, version 1909
• Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2019
• Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2016

Microsoft Edge follows the follows the Modern Policy. Go here for a list of support operating systems for Microsoft Edge.

If you have a valid Windows license, you are eligible for support from Microsoft, subject to the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy and the support terms and conditions that were in place at the time of purchase. If you acquired your Windows operating system license on a new device from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or PC manufacturer, Microsoft offers access to a wealth of online self-help support content in addition to paid technical help offerings. You may also contact your OEM for more information about the support offerings for Windows operating systems from that OEM.

To use prior versions of Windows on devices currently running a newer version, it is possible for customers to obtain a license for downgrade rights. These downgrade rights will vary depending on whether the software was acquired via Volume Licensing, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or Full Packaged Product (FPP). To learn more about these rights, review the downgrade rights licensing brief. Prior versions of Windows have limited support when running on new processors and chipsets from manufacturers like Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Qualcomm. For more information, please see Microsoft Lifecycle Policy. A device may not be able to run prior versions of Windows if the device hardware is incompatible, lacks current drivers, or is otherwise outside of the original equipment manufacturers' (OEM) support period.

Once a Microsoft operating system (OS) reaches the end of support, customers will no longer receive technical assistance, software updates, or security fixes. The OS may still work with programs and hardware after the sale or support of the operating system has been discontinued. However, the possibility increases that new programs and hardware will not be performant on an older OS. This frequently occurs because the manufacturers of new hardware and software developers make product-design decisions that take advantage of the increased functionality and features in newer operating systems. These manufacturers may decide to discontinue support of their products on older operating systems as appropriate.

New versions of Windows 11 will be released once per year and will receive monthly quality updates that include security and non-security updates. Customers should always install the latest version before the current version reaches end of servicing to remain supported by Microsoft.

¹Home edition does not support the deferral of feature updates and will therefore typically receive a new version of Windows 11 prior to the end-of-servicing date shown.

There are the minimum system requirements for installing Windows 11. Devices that don't meet these requirements might not be able to install Windows 11. Go here for Windows 11 requirements. Note that devices must be running Windows 10, version 2004 or later, to upgrade via Windows Update.

For migration help, enterprise customers can utilize App Assure (part of FastTrack) - an application compatibility program that helps to unblock application issues when moving to the latest versions of Microsoft products. Learn more about this program and what products are included at aka.ms/AppAssure.

The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) is designed to be used only for specialized devices - for example, those that control medical equipment or automated teller machines (ATMs).

To receive monthly quality updates, customers must be on a supported version of Windows 11. Go here for support dates.

Customers should always install the latest version before the current version reaches end of servicing to remain supported by Microsoft. You can search the Product and Services Lifecycle Information to confirm the servicing timeline for your specific version and edition of Windows 10. Windows 10, version 22H2 is the last feature update released for Windows 10 and will be serviced with monthly updates through October 14, 2025 after which it is no longer supported.

Historical servicing timeline for Windows 10

²Home edition does not support the deferral of feature updates and will therefore typically receive a new version of Windows 10 prior to the end-of-servicing date shown.

³Windows moved to an annual release cadence starting with Windows 10, version 21H2 (the Windows 10 November 2021 Update).

You may continue to use Windows 10 after support ends; however, it will no longer receive quality updates, new or updated features, security updates, or technical support. We recommend that customers upgrade or transition to a new Windows 11 PC for the best, most secure computing experience.

If you are an individual consumer or an organization who elects to continue using Windows 10 after support ends on October 14, 2025, you will have the option of enrolling your PC in the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. The ESU program enables PCs to continue to receive Critical and Important security updates (as defined by the Microsoft Security Response Center) after support ends.

The ESU program provides individual consumers and organizations of all sizes with the option to extend the use of Windows 10 PCs past the end of support date in a more secure manner.

It is highly recommended that customers install the latest feature update to stay up to date with the latest security updates, as well as to continue receiving future feature updates, with less impact on IT processes and infrastructure.

To help reduce the burden on network bandwidth, Microsoft designed two different update types: Full and Express³.

If needed, customers may defer Feature Updates via Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options or via an organization's device management policies.

On devices that do not defer the installation of feature updates, the subsequent Semi-Annual Channel or General Availability Channel version of Windows 10 may be automatically offered and installed prior to the end date. Update deferral is not available for all editions of Windows 10⁴. Please see Windows as a Service (WaaS) for information on release channels and the Windows 10 release information page for additional update details.

Not all features in a feature update will be available on all devices. Similarly, a device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacks current drivers, lacks sufficient storage space, or is otherwise outside the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) support period. For more information on compatibility, review the Windows 10 System Requirements as well as the Windows Processor Requirements.

Update availability may vary by country, region, network connectivity, mobile operator (e.g., for cellular-capable devices), or hardware capabilities (including, e.g., free disk space).

³As of April 9th, 2019 Delta Updates are no longer available. To learn more, go here.

⁴Windows 10 Home does not support the deferral of feature updates and will therefore typically receive a new version of Windows 10 prior to the end-of-servicing date shown.

In the Windows as a Service (WaaS) model, the concept of Mainstream Support does not apply to Semi-Annual Channels, as each Semi-Annual Channel will be serviced (receive monthly quality updates) for a limited time. Customers are required to move to a supported version (feature update) to continue to receive monthly quality updates with security and non-security fixes.

The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) is designed to be used only for specialized devices - for example, those that control medical equipment or automated teller machines (ATMs).

To receive monthly quality updates, customers must be on a supported version of Windows 10. Go here for support dates.

See Overview of Windows as a Service (WaaS) for more information on release channels and the Windows 10 release info page for additional update details.

Windows 8.1 reached the end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018, and reached the end of Extended Support on January 10, 2023. With the general availability of Windows 8.1, customers on Windows 8 had until January 12, 2016, to move to Windows 8.1 to remain supported. More details regarding Windows 8.1 reaching end of extended support may be found here.

To receive monthly quality updates, customers must be on a supported version of Windows Server. Go here for support dates.

Updates are cumulative, with each update built upon the updates that preceded it.

Previously a standalone product, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) became a component of the Windows Server operating system beginning with Windows Server 2012. A component is defined as a set of files or features that are included with a Microsoft product, whether it is shipped with the product, included in a product service pack or update, or later made available as a web download for the product. As a component, WSUS follows the Lifecycle Policy for the product on which it is installed – Windows Server (the parent product).

Windows Embedded 8.1 falls under the same lifecycle policy as Windows Embedded 8 with support ending July 11, 2023. Customers have 24 months to move to Windows Embedded 8.1 to remain supported. This applies to Windows Embedded 8 Industry Enterprise and Industry Pro.

The type of support provided in the Extended Support phase is consistent across all products. Critical security updates are made available for products until the published Extended Support end date. This allows businesses to ensure that they are up to date in protection against security attacks. Similar to Windows products, Embedded products also receive updates through Microsoft Update. No regular updates are being released for Windows Embedded products to the release channels of DPC (Device Partner Center), Windows Embedded Developer Update (WEDU) and Microsoft OEM Online (MOO).

Windows products will be supported for security, reliability, and compatibility on the latest silicon available at the time of release. This includes previous silicon generations still in support by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

Windows 7 and 8.1 Devices. Supported Skylake devices will receive applicable Windows security updates through the end of support. These systems should be upgraded to Windows 10 to continue receiving support after the period ends. Search here to see your product's end of support dates.

Windows Embedded 7, 8, and 8.1. Skylake devices running Windows Embedded 7, 8, and 8.1 will be supported according to the lifecycle support policy for those products. During this supported period, these systems should be upgraded to Windows 10 to continue receiving support after the period ends. There is no supported device list for Windows Embedded.

Windows Server. The Windows Server platform is supported on certified or logoed hardware as listed in the Windows Server Catalog. Today, you can browse the catalog and find hardware that meets or exceeds our minimum server hardware requirements and has been successfully certified for supported Windows Server products. For Windows Server, the policy consists of five years of mainstream support followed by five years of extended support. This lifecycle impacts the timeframe for which new devices and systems can be certified. We allow new systems to be submitted for certification up to the point when the OS transitions to extended support.

To identify what generation of processor you have, see Intel's page on processor numbers. To see if your processor supports Windows 10 or Windows 11, see Intel's Product Specification page. Go here to learn more about the latest processor requirements for all Windows products. To find your Windows product end of support date, search the Product Lifecycle site.

Microsoft will make software updates, including security updates, available for Windows RT. Go here for support timelines.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT has the same lifecycle policy as Windows RT.

Please refer to hardware warranties for more information. More details can be found in the Hardware FAQ.