Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system has been available for 7 years, and in October 2021, it was superseded by Windows 11. Regardless of age, Windows 10 remains one of the best and most popular versions of Windows. The current global market share of Windows 10 is 67.95% compared to Windows 11’s 16.97%.
But now, Microsoft has decided to put an end to Windows 10 customer licenses. Microsoft’s official product pages for Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro now have a disclaimer, 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.
If you’re looking to get Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro directly from Microsoft, you can do it in the next 2 weeks. Microsoft Windows 10 Home costs $139, while Windows 10 Pro costs $199.
This end-of-license for Windows 10 & Windows 10 Pro is only in effect if you’re getting the software from Microsoft officially. There’s currently no information available on the deals Microsoft has with its OEM PC partners. It is possible that they may still be able to purchase Windows 10 licenses for foreseeable future.
Although Microsoft is ending consumer sales of Windows 10 through its website, there are still other methods to download the OS or purchase it in a form of a DVD. Such as, Amazon offers the OEM version of Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro on DVD for $109.99 & $146.99, respectively.
It’s clear that Microsoft wants to convert as many people to Windows 11 platform as soon as possible. Microsoft even announced the end of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. This means no more security or antivirus/malware protection.
