---
title: "Microsoft sets a kill date for Windows 10 support – same with what happened to Windows XP and 7"
url: "https://binary.ph/2021/06/17/microsoft-sets-a-kill-date-for-windows-10-support-same-with-what-happened-to-windows-xp-and-7/"
description: "Microsoft sets a Windows 10 support kill date; are we headed for a windows 10 kill switch? Learn from XP and 7 end-of-life lessons."
author: "BinaryPH"
published: "2021-06-17T06:39:17+00:00"
modified: "2021-12-25T16:28:02+00:00"
tags: ["Main", "endoflife", "endofsupport", "killswitch", "windows10"]
---

# Microsoft sets a kill date for Windows 10 support – same with what happened to Windows XP and 7

**Windows 10** is a major release of the [Windows NT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT)[operating system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system) developed by [Microsoft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft). It is the successor to [Windows 8.1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1), released nearly two years earlier, and was [released to manufacturing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_cycle#Release_to_manufacturing_(RTM%29) on July 15, 2015, and broadly released for the general public on July 29, 2015. Windows 10 was made available for download via [MSDN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSDN) and [Technet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Technet), as a free upgrade for retail copies of [Windows 8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8) and [Windows 8.1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1) users via the [Windows Store](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Store), and to [Windows 7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7) users via [Windows Update](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Update). Windows 10 receives new [builds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_build) on an ongoing basis, which are available at no additional cost to users, in addition to additional test builds of Windows 10, which are available to [Windows Insiders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Insider). Devices in enterprise environments can receive these updates at a slower pace, or use long-term support milestones that only receive critical updates, such as security [patches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_(computing%29), over their ten-year lifespan of extended support.

On Microsoft’s [Windows 10 Home and Pro Lifecycle Policy page](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro), the company states that it will “continue to support at least one Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel until October 14, 2025.” Underneath, it then lists the retirement date of “Windows 10 Home and Pro” as “10/14/2025”. It outlines when support will end for various builds, like the current version (21H1), which will be supported through December 13, 2022. The end of the road for Windows 10 in general, however, is a little over four years from now. Windows 10 Support: [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro)