Not everyone who wants Windows 11 gets it. And not everyone who can get Windows 11 wants the latest operating system. According to Microsoft, Windows 10 will be supported and updated at least until 2025. We give an overview.
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What’s next with Windows 10? According to Microsoft, Windows 10 will be supported and updated at least until 2025. We give an overview.
It has been over six years since the first release of Windows 10. Microsoft will offer security updates for at least four more years. This will especially please users who cannot change or (yet) do not want to change (see box on the right).
To the exclusive offer: Windows 10 Pro for only 49.99 euros
But be careful: Since Windows 10 has appeared in 12 different versions to date, there are different expiration dates. The last function upgrade will come in the shadow of Windows 11 with the announced version 21H2 (Build 19044). In addition, there will be a so-called LTSC version (Long-Term Servicing Channel) based on the 21H2 update for corporate customers. This will then receive five years of support.
Many millions of PCs are still dependent on Windows 10
Microsoft speaks of around 1.3 billion PCs with Windows 10 worldwide. You can only roughly estimate how many computers fall by the wayside when upgrading to Windows 11. We take the average PC sales from 2013 to 2017 as a basis – that’s around 900 million units. Now we assume that 30 percent are still in operation and that the majority of these computers will not get Windows 11 due to a lack of hardware support. That would be around 200 million PCs worldwide!
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The presumably last official Windows 10 version will receive security updates from Microsoft by October 2025 and possibly also smaller function updates.
The exciting question will be how many users replace their old PC with a new model with Windows 11 or install the new operating system with a corresponding workaround without support from Microsoft. In any case, it is clear that Windows 10 will not go away overnight.
By the way: Almost a quarter of PC users worldwide continue to use Windows 7. In Germany alone, around eight percent of Windows users still use version 7.
Load Windows 10 as an ISO image for new installations
The setup medium for Windows 10 can still be loaded with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool. You can burn a bootable DVD or create a bootable USB stick after the download. Windows 10 can be reinstalled if necessary and continue to be used with the previous license. Alternatively, you can use Windows ISO Downloader. In the tool, select the desired Windows version and the language. Then download the ISO image from the Microsoft servers to your PC.
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The setup medium for Windows 10 can still be loaded with the Media Creation Tool. Windows 10 can be reinstalled if necessary and continue to be used with the previous license.
No forced upgrade planned for Windows 10 objectors
In the past, Microsoft was repeatedly accused of having published intrusive advertising programs for the switch to Windows 10 as an update of the existing Windows 7 and 8.1 systems. Sometimes upgrades were even installed without the explicit consent of the user due to imprecise descriptions.
Microsoft has learned from this and announced in its English-language blog on Windows 11 at the end of August that there would be no upgrade requirement for Windows 10 users. Windows 11 is initially not a mandatory update. Instead, each user can decide when the upgrade notification appears in Windows 10 to decline the upgrade in order to continue working with Windows 10.
Downgrade: It also goes back from Windows 11 to 10
Anyone who has made the switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11 can undo this upgrade at any time for ten days in the Windows 10 “Settings” app. According to Microsoft, all files and data that you have moved from Windows 10 to Windows 11 should be retained during the downgrade.
You can read more about Windows 11 in the large XXL special issue of PC-WELT. It will go on sale on October 22nd and can already be
Pre-order now in the shop as a printed edition
.
Pre-order here now!
As a reader, you can look forward to many exciting topics relating to the latest Microsoft operating system on 196 pages. In addition to a presentation of the novelties, there is also all the help for a problem-free switch to Windows 11. Incidentally, there are 17 full versions as a starter package on the DVD. What are you waiting for? Order now and receive the special issue on October 22nd.
