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Support for the original release of Windows 8 ended "two years after the General Availability of the Windows 8.1 update," or Oct. 18, 2015. Microsoft's officialWindows 8.1 Support Lifecycle Policytreats Windows 8.1 as if it were a service pack for Windows 8. (The Windows 8.1 upgrade was delivered for free available through the Windows Store on PCs running Windows 8.) That means the life cycle calculations started when Windows 8 shipped, in 2012. The assurance of support is especially important for business customers, who tend to be conservative in their approach to upgrades. ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites.
The app connects your computer with the Microsoft support agent’s computer using a remote connection. If you do not choose to accept screen shots being captured, please select the ‘I do not accept’ option and request other quality support options such as phone or chat support. To find the official end-of-support date for any Microsoft product, use theMicrosoft Product Lifecycle Search page. When you find the entry for a specific product, you can see the general availability date, the retirement dates for mainstream and extended support, and retirement dates. The 10-year upgrade cycle for Windows 10 matters most to customers running Long Term Servicing editions in enterprise deployments.
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Thus, the original release of Windows 11 Home and Pro, version 21H2, will stop receiving updates on Oct. 10, 2023; the end date for version 22H2 is Oct. 8, 2024. Once those dates arrive, customers need to install a newer feature update to remain in support. The support life cycle for each new version of Windows or Office is 10 years, with mainstream support for five years and extended support for another five years. Subscription versions of Microsoft 365, which receive updates and upgrades monthly, play by a different set of rules.
The official date of retirement for support is the second Tuesday in the first month of the quarter following that anniversary . That grace period typically means a few weeks or months of extra support tacked on at the end of the five- and 10-year support cycles for each product. Here's the rundown on commitments for currently supported client versions of Windows and Office, starting with the newest member of the family.
When will Microsoft end support for your version of Windows or Office?
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Those dates are calculated under the Modern Policy, which requires that the device in question be running a supported feature update. For Windows 10, feature updates were originally released every six months, with a support life cycle that lasted 18 months for each. That resulted in a chaotic support calendar, and customers practically needed a whiteboard to figure out support deadlines. Because Windows 11 follows the Modern Policy, it is currently listed asIn Support, with no defined end date. Each annual feature update, which is released at the end of the calendar year, has its own support life cycle. For Home and Pro editions, the end date for support is two years after a feature update is released.
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As of Jan. 10, 2023, Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for Windows 8.1. By selecting the ‘I accept’ option of Remote Assistance support from Microsoft, you agree that during this session, the support professional may capture screen shots for quality and/or training purposes. Generally, "supported" means you have access to at least one type of assisted support option and no-charge security updates through channels like Windows Update and the Download Center. The only difference will be an eerie quiet on the second Tuesday of each month. When the product reaches its retirement date, so do those Patch Tuesday security updates. For those using Windows 8.1 or supported Windows Server or macOS versions, the Quick Assist web app will get you help with your computer directly from Microsoft support agents.
With Windows Quick Assist app, you can receive or provide PC assistance over a remote connection. Remember only to share Quick Assist with trusted people since they can access your PC. The calculations start with the general availability date for each product.
Feature updates are now released annually, just like with Windows 11, in the second half of the calendar year. Support for Office 2010 ended in October 2020, while Office 2013 support ends in just a few months, on April 11, 2023. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards.
Microsoft continues to sell traditional versions of Office with a perpetual license. These products receive regular security and reliability updates but don't qualify for feature upgrades. They also require activation and can only be installed on a single PC. Microsoft has a well-establishedsupport life cyclefor its software products. It's basically an agreement that the company makes with everyone who purchases a license to use its core products, Windows and Office, including the newer subscription-based versions sold under the Microsoft 365 brand. The Modern Lifecycle Policy, which applies to Windows 10, Windows 11, and Office 2021, no longer follows that calendar.
PCs running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 are still out there, running merrily along. Likewise, PCs running Windows 10 will not stop working when the clock runs out less than three years from now. The Microsoft support agent will give you a security code—enter it when prompted. The Office 2013 support schedule goes roughly three months past that of Windows 8.1.
Instead of mainstream and extended support phases, there's simply a retirement date, with regular updates required to maintain support along the way. For older versions of Windows and Office, Microsoft provides at least five years of mainstream support, followed by another five years of extended support. These life cycles apply equally to business and home versions of Windows and Office. For customers running Windows 11 Enterprise and Education editions, the support life cycle for a feature update is three years instead of two. These customers have until Oct. 8, 2024, to update from version 21H2; the end date is Oct. 14, 2025, for version 22H2. The Office support life cycle works just like support for Windows, with one important difference.
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