Windows 10 to receive Microsoft support until 14 October, 2025

Microsoft has announced a 10-year support for its new Windows 10 operating system, following its traditional Support Lifecycle policy (MSL) for previous Windows versions.

The company has updated its official Windows lifecycle page with details about the support for Windows 10.

It will provide five years of mainstream support, which starts with the release of the OS on 29 July, 2015. The mainstream support will end on 13 October, 2020. Then Microsoft will offer extended support for another five years, which ends on 14 October, 2025.

Following is a note from the lifecycle site about Windows update and its support:

Updates are cumulative, with each update built upon all of the updates that preceded it. A device needs to install the latest update to remain supported. Updates may include new features, fixes (security and/or non-security), or a combination of both. Not all features in an update will work on all devices. A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer's ("OEM") support period. Update availability may vary, for example by country, region, network connectivity, mobile operator (e.g., for cellular-capable devices), or hardware capabilities (including, e.g., free disk space).

Windows 10, as Microsoft has already said, will be available as a free software upgrade and with new PCs and tablets. There will be no charges for the update during the lifecycle or any subscription fee.

ZDNet has a few more details from its sources well versed with the new rules of the OEM support clause, according to which if an OEM sells a Windows 10 device and stops delivering driver and firmware updates, the device will still continue working and receive updates. But there might be some features limitation in future release of Widows 10 for an older device.