Microsoft Will Stop Selling Windows 10 Licenses Online This Month (2024)

FAQs

Microsoft Will Stop Selling Windows 10 Licenses Online This Month? ›

However, visiting either purchase page reveals a note stating, "January 31, 2023 will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale. Windows 10 will remain supported with security updates that help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malware until October 14, 2025."

Replies (5) 

Microsoft no longer sells Windows 10 license. However, you can purchase Windows 11 license and use it to install Windows 10.

Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025.

Microsoft doesn't sell Windows 10 license anymore. However, you can purchase a Windows 11 license and use it to activate Windows 10, because Windows 10 and 11 basically use the same key. The price for Windows 11 is the same anyway compared to what Windows 10 used to be.

Microsoft has set January 31, 2023, as the last day Windows 10 license keys are offered for sale. After that, you cannot purchase Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Workstation through the Microsoft website. Here's how you can still get a Windows 10 license key.

In 2021, however, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be succeeded on compatible hardware by Windows 11–and that Windows 10 support will end on October 14, 2025, marking a departure from what had been dubbed "Windows as a service".

That loophole officially closed on September 20, 2023, when Microsoft posted an inconspicuous announcement on a website for its hardware partners. (For details, see "It's official: No more free Windows 10 upgrades".)

When support ends in October 2025, Windows 10 will still function, but will no longer receive fixes, new features, or security updates.

Windows 11, version 22H2 will reach the end of updates on October 8, 2024. This applies to the following editions released in September of 2022: Home.

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10. Windows Update will stop delivering security updates, and unless you take action, you'll be a sitting duck, much as if you were still using Windows XP or Windows 7.

Can I use my old product key for Windows 10? ›

If Windows 10 wasn't pre-installed on your device when purchased and you used a product key to upgrade to Windows 10, then you'll need that same product key after the hardware change. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Activation > Change Product Key, then enter the product key.

If you have a genuine USB activation key for Windows 10, it should permanently activate the software on the computer you use it on. However, keep in mind that if you make significant hardware changes, like replacing the motherboard, Windows might require reactivation.

Depending on how you got your copy of Windows 10, you'll need either a digital license or a 25-character product key to activate it. Without one of these, you won't be able to activate your device.

The company will still support the operating system until October 2025. Zach began writing for CNET in November, 2021 after writing for a broadcast news station in his hometown, Cincinnati, for five years.

A Microsoft Windows license does not expire. A scam may be in progress. Make sure that the anti-virus/anti-malware application is activated and up-to-date.

Windows is an overall operating system. This means that Microsoft can charge more for it because it has a high demand. Microsoft includes many features in Windows that other operating systems do not have. This makes Windows more attractive to users but also more expensive.

If you continue to use an unsupported version of Windows, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Your PC will continue to start and run, but you will no longer receive software updates, including security updates, from Microsoft.

Microsoft's shift in its Windows lifecycle policy involves setting a definitive end-of-life date for Windows 10, which will be October 14, 2025. This new policy applies to various Windows 10 editions, including Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations.

An upgrade moves your PC from a previous version of Windows—such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.1—to Windows 10. An upgrade can take place on your existing device, though Microsoft recommends using Windows 10 on a new PC to take advantage of the latest features and security improvements.

Microsoft allows anyone to download Windows 10 for free and install it without a product key. It'll keep working for the foreseeable future, with only a few small cosmetic restrictions. And you can even pay to upgrade to a licensed copy of Windows 10 after you install it.