22H2

By Aysë Stenabaugh

It’s hard to believe that Windows 10 will be 10 years old next July. Microsoft has announced that 22H2 will be the final version of Windows 10. Microsoft will continue to provide critical security updates monthly to devices that have the latest (22H2) version until the scheduled end-of-life date of October 14^th, 2025. Once this date is reached critical updates will cease leaving devices connected to the internet vulnerable to potential threats.

What can you do when Windows 10 support ends?

Once support for Windows 10 ends, users can choose to upgrade to a supported OS such as Windows 11, and switch platforms to Mac OS, Linux, or Chrome OS. Alternatively, users can opt into enrolling their up-to-date Windows 10 devices into the extended service update program which includes security and critical updates only. In the past, the extended service update program also known as ESU was a paid program that was geared towards organizations. With the Windows 10 ESU program individuals can take advantage of the extended support updates by paying an annual fee. There is no word from Microsoft on what they will charge but historically they have offered ESU plans at a tiered rate starting at $50 for the first year and reaching $200 for the third and final support year. With these plans reaching such high prices by the second and third years for most users it probably makes more sense to invest in upgrading or replacing devices to support Windows 11 before the software’s end of life is reached in October 2025.

Is your PC compatible with Windows 11?

Not all devices that are compatible with Windows 10 will support Windows 11’s hardware and security requirements. If your device is compatible with Windows 11, you will be asked to upgrade your computer to the new OS during Windows updates. If you are not being prompted to upgrade or if you would like to find out if your device is supported and what is needed to meet system requirements for Windows 11 you can download Microsoft’s PC Health Check application by visiting https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp from a web browser on a Windows device. Most computers over 3-4 years old will likely not support the operating system without hardware upgrades as well as software updates.

How long will Windows 11 be supported?

Windows 11 was released in October of 2021 and is currently on its third version 23H2. The typical life-cycle of most software is at least 10 years of mainstream support for the latest version of the OS. Looking back at prior Windows operating systems, Windows XP had 3 service packs and was in support for a total of 12 years, Windows 7 was supported for 10 years and now Windows 10 will follow suit. While there is no definitive date of when Windows 11 support will end, if users continue to keep their devices up to date they can expect that support will continue through 2031.

If you aren’t sure if your computer is compatible with Windows 11 we can perform diagnostics on your device to check your hardware and provide you with a recommendation. Some Windows 10 computers can be upgraded to support Windows 11 but not all devices are worth upgrading.  At Jester’s Computers, we build custom desktop PCs that are designed to meet your personal needs with quality, performance, and compatibility in mind.