Microsoft has quietly shifted their position on support for Microsoft 365 on Windows 10, when Win10 ends support in October. Now Microsoft 365 for Windows get partial support on Windows 10 for a few more years … but there are some big unknowns.
A new paragraph has slipped into Microsoft’s web page about Microsoft 365 support. After several, more prominent mentions of “Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported on Windows 10 after it reaches end of support on October 14, 2025.” there’s this:
“In the interest of maintaining your security while you upgrade to Windows 11, we will continue providing security updates for Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 for a total of three years after Windows 10 end of support, ending on October 10, 2028. “
That means newly discovered security bugs in Microsoft 365 with Windows 10 (a sadly regular occurrence) will be fixed for another three years. But only security bugs will be fixed, no other bugs or other support benefits.
Tip ‘o the hat to NeoWin for finding this gem.
We’ve updated our Microsoft Office support end dates checklist to reflect the support policy change.
Also All your choices before the end of Windows 10
Use M365 at your own risk on Windows 10
However Microsoft continues to consider Windows 10 an ‘unsupported operating system’ for Microsoft 365 apps, saying:
“Although apps such as Word will continue to work after Windows 10 reaches end of support, using an unsupported operating system can cause performance and reliability issues when running Microsoft 365 Apps. If your organization is using Microsoft 365 Apps on devices running Windows 10, those devices should move to Windows 11.”
In other words, after October 2025, is still “use at your own risk” for Microsoft 365 customers with Windows 10.
Microsoft 365 apps would always work on Windows 10 after October 2025. There was no suggestion that the apps would stop, only that they would fall off the supported software list. That’s still the case, though now with some security updates continuing.
Despite the policy change, Microsoft’s web site has many mentions of the October 2025 end of support for Microsoft 365 on Windows 10. Even on the same page that the 2028 extension is tucked into the fine print.
The ‘security fixes only’ policy means that Microsoft can continue to say prominently that “Support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025.” while adding the three-year extension in the fine print. For example, this page highlights the 2025 end date with the 2028 extension tucked away three paragraphs later.
“Customer Support Expectations”
Another take on Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 is found on this Microsoft page which, like the page mentioned above, starts by saying prominently that “Support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025.“
Lower down there’s a section about “Customer support expectations” which is a weaselly way of saying “Customer support limitations“.
Customers with a valid Microsoft 365 subscription will continue to be able to open support cases with Microsoft. However, the following limitations to customer service and support will apply to incidents involving Microsoft 365 Apps running on Windows 10 after October 14, 2025:
- If the issue occurs only with Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 10, with or without Windows 10 Extended Security Updates, and doesn’t occur on Windows 11, support will ask the customer to move to Windows 11.
- If the customer is unable to move to Windows 11, support will provide troubleshooting assistance only; technical workarounds might be limited or unavailable.
- Support incidents for Microsoft 365 Apps running on Windows 10, with or without Extended Security Updates, do not include the option to log a bug or request other product updates.
Translation: Microsoft will do little, if anything, to help if the Microsoft 365 problem is only on on Windows 10. That applies even if the customer has paid for Windows 10 Extended Support!
It’s not stated but the mentions of support and incidents only apply to enterprise / volume customers. Consumer M365 licenses (Personal or Family) won’t have those support choices and will be pretty much on their own.
Windows 10 Extended Support Update (ESU)
Windows 10 support can be extended beyond October 2025 with the Extended Support Update (ESU) program. Consumers can buy another year of Windows 10 updates but volume licence customers can pay for up to three years.
The ESU will give Windows 10 security updates but does NOT guarantee that Microsoft 365 will be supported.
As noted above, Microsoft 365 will not be fixed for bugs that appear only in Windows 10, even if the customer has paid for Extended Support.
ESU will cost US$244 for the third year! At that point, it’s not so much a price as a penalty for continuing to use Windows 10.
How will this work?
As stated, Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 will only get security updates but the practical reality isn’t that simple. How is Microsoft going to provide security fixes for M365 apps without also patching unsupported Windows 10?
Unsupported Windows 10 means any machine without Extended Support Updates (ESU).
There’s no firm dividing line between Windows and Office security updates. Many security fixes are in shared Windows technologies not just in the Office/Microsoft 365 apps. Sometimes security holes need fixes in both Windows and the Office/Microsoft 365 apps.
Perhaps they’ll deploy the Windows security patches which will be made for Windows 10 Extended Security Update (ESU) customers? Or Microsoft may just patch security holes in Microsoft 365 apps and say they won’t fix related Windows 10 problems, as another little push towards Windows 11.
How will Microsoft stop the M365 apps on Windows 10 from getting feature updates or non-security bug fixes? Is Microsoft seriously going to add a layer of internal software switches to disable features or even bug fixes for Windows 10 users?
Why the change?
Microsoft hasn’t announced this change in Microsoft 365 support policy, let alone explain it. All they did is quietly change the wording on some key web pages.
The most likely reason for the change was pressure from their large business, enterprise and government customers. Those customers have millions of Microsoft licenses and have a strong voice into the executive ranks at Redmond.
Like many smaller customers, the volume customers are faced with the high cost of changing from Windows 10 just to maintain full support for the Microsoft 365 apps. Presumably the more influential customers leaned on Microsoft to allow more time.
For Microsoft’s part, they want to move users off Windows 10 and hope some of the Win10 users will switch to the more profitable Windows Cloud PC option instead of replacing computers completely.
The compromise is to partly allow Microsoft 365 apps to keep working with just security updates but with a stern warning that the apps might not keeping running properly on Windows 10. In other words, “Use at your own risk”/
What about Office 2021 and Office 2024?
Office 2024 and Office 2021 apps will continue to work on Windows 10 after October 2025 but not supported.
Both Office 2024 and Office 2021 also end support in October 2025 if not running on Windows 11.
That has NOT changed. Microsoft 365 users may have a partial reprieve but nothing for perpetual license Office.
