Windows 10 will officially reach end of support on October 14, 2025, but Microsoft has just announced a surprise three-year extension of support for Office and Microsoft 365 apps, running through October 10, 2028. The move is welcome news for millions of users and businesses still on the operating system, especially since Microsoft had previously said it would end all Office support on Windows 10 at the same time as the OS's End Of Support date.
A Major Change to Office and Microsoft 365 Support Policy on Windows 10
Microsoft originally stated that all Office and Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 would lose support at once on October 14, 2025. That worried individuals and businesses that couldn't yet move to Windows 11, mainly because of hardware limitations or the cost of investing in new devices. However, Microsoft has quietly updated its policy: Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and OneDrive will keep receiving security patches and bug fixes on Windows 10 until October 10, 2028.
With the new decision, individual users and especially businesses get more time to plan their transition, reducing security risks while running Office on Windows 10. At the same time, Microsoft still recommends upgrading to Windows 11 soon for the best performance and reliability, since running an operating system that has passed its End Of Support carries significant risks to performance and data safety.
Support Policy Compared: Microsoft 365 vs. One-Time-Purchase Office Versions
One notable point is that support policies differ clearly between Microsoft 365 and one-time-purchase versions of Office such as Office 2021 and Office 2024. Specifically:
- Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 will keep receiving security updates through October 10, 2028, at no extra cost for people already using the service.
- Office 2021 is supported on Windows 10 until October 2026, while Office 2024 runs until October 2029, following a fixed-lifecycle policy.
- Windows Defender will also keep receiving malware definition updates until at least October 2028, helping protect the system against new threats.
Microsoft is also rolling out the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10. Individual users can buy an ESU license after October 2025 if they want to keep receiving security patches, while organizations and businesses can pay to maintain support until October 10, 2028.
Overall, the extension helps Microsoft retain Office and Microsoft 365 users while easing the transition to Windows 11. Still, the company continues to use a few "tactics" to push users toward upgrading, such as slowing down some apps (OneNote, for example) on Windows 10 to increase the pressure to switch.
In short: Microsoft's extension of Office and Microsoft 365 support on Windows 10 through 2028 takes some pressure off individuals and businesses, giving them more time to prepare before they have to upgrade to Windows 11. Even so, using Windows 10 after End Of Support still carries security, performance and software compatibility risks. Users should consider enrolling in the ESU program or finding a suitable alternative if they can't switch right away, and should plan a move to Windows 11 for long-term safety and stability.
