You may hold utilizing Phrase, Excel, and the opposite apps on Home windows 10 previous Octoer.
Credit score: Microsoft
When you’re unable or unwilling to improve to Home windows 11 and also you’re working Microsoft Workplace (now referred to as Microsoft 365, after all), there’s some excellent news: Assist for Phrase, Excel, and the opposite Workplace apps is being prolonged for an additional three years past the end-of-life date for Home windows 10 itself.
The tip-of-life date help for Home windows 10—after which no additional software program updates or technical help will likely be supplied by Microsoft—has been set for Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Assist for Microsoft 365 apps will now go all the way in which as much as Tuesday, October 10, 2028.
That is as per an up to date help doc revealed by Microsoft and noticed by The Verge. Prior to now, there had been some confusion about whether or not Microsoft would minimize off help on the identical date for each Home windows 10 and Microsoft 365 packages working on it, so we now have some readability.
The shift is to “assist keep safety when you transition to Home windows 11,” Microsoft says, so it clearly nonetheless needs you to begin utilizing Home windows 11 as quickly as attainable. The extension applies to each the model of Workplace that may be bought for a one-off payment, and the Microsoft 365 subscription model primarily based on month-to-month or yearly funds.
There are additionally some essential caveats right here: Even when the Workplace apps are being saved updated till 2028, you actually do not wish to be working them on an unsupported working system. When you’re sticking with Home windows 10 previous October this 12 months, you will wish to pay for Prolonged Safety Updates ($30 a 12 months for residence customers) to ensure you’re protected towards hackers and viruses.
Although you will not be getting any new options with the Prolonged Safety Updates, your PC will not less than be patched up towards no matter nasty safety threats emerge, so you possibly can stick with it utilizing Microsoft 365 with out fear. The prolonged help for Phrase, Excel, and the opposite apps will not value you any additional on high of what you’ve got already paid for them.
What do you suppose thus far?
Ideally, Microsoft needs to get everybody working Home windows 11, and the recommendation in case your system would not meet the required specs is to exit and purchase a brand new PC with Home windows on it. That is extra of a problem for companies who’ve acquired dozens or tons of of workstations to improve, after all.
Microsoft has put splash screens in Home windows 10 encouraging customers to improve to the newest working system, in addition to telling anybody who’ll hear about the advantages of the Home windows 11 expertise. Home windows 11 was launched again in October 2021, nevertheless it’s thought that greater than 60% of PCs are nonetheless utilizing Home windows 10.
There’s one other caveat relating to the help you possibly can anticipate from Microsoft past October: When you ask for technical assist from Microsoft with Workplace apps on Home windows 10, and the problem would not happen on Home windows 11, you will be suggested to improve the working system. “If the client is unable to maneuver to Home windows 11, help will present troubleshooting help solely; technical workarounds is perhaps restricted or unavailable,” Microsoft says.
