If you use Office apps on Windows 10, you'll love this move from Microsoft

Good news if you were planning to stay on Windows 10 after the end of support: Microsoft will finally be extending the availability of security patches for Microsoft 365 apps.

Microsoft is backpedaling. A few months ago, the publisher announced that Office apps would no longer be supported on Windows 10 after the end of support for this version of the operating system, scheduled for October 14, 2025. “To use Microsoft 365 apps on your device, you'll need to upgrade to Windows 11,” we were told at the time. Fortunately, while many machines are not compatible with Windows 11 due to their hardware configuration, Microsoft has changed its mind.

“To help ensure your transition to Windows 11 is secure, Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 for three years after the end of support for Windows 10,” it is now stated in an updated support page. In other words, we will be able to continue using our Office apps normally for a while longer. “These updates will be distributed via standard update channels, until October 10, 2028,” the company specifies.

A Microsoft 365 subscription to continue using Office on Windows 10 securely

This policy change mainly concerns businesses and professionals, but also individuals who are Microsoft 365 subscribers. The Redmond firm nevertheless points out that this does not change the end of security patches for Windows 10 as a whole (unless you pay for extended support). It strongly recommends upgrading to Windows 11 to continue benefiting from free security updates, as well as to avoid “performance and reliability issues over time”.

A few weeks ago, Microsoft also reiterated the end of support for older versions of Office, such as Office 2016 or Office 2019, whether on Windows 10 or Windows 11. Unless users can make do with outdated software, they will have to purchase an Office 2024 pack (with security patches, but without feature updates), or subscribe to Microsoft 365 to have the full experience, the option preferred by Microsoft to guarantee regular income.