M365 Apps on Windows 10 to Receive Security Updates Through 2028

Microsoft recently updated its support page to announce that the Microsoft 365 apps (Office apps basically) will continue to receive security updates on Windows 10 until 2028, reversing its previous decision to stop supporting these apps on the older OS version after October 14. Microsoft has been pushing businesses and individuals to upgrade to Windows 11 because the Copilot suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features is only available on the most recent version of Windows. In spite of this, Microsoft has been pushing people and businesses to upgrade to Windows 11.

Microsoft has now reversed course and promised to keep releasing security upgrades for Office applications running on Windows 10 for a further three years.

In its modified support document, the tech giant now writes, “Microsoft will continue providing security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 10 for three years after Windows 10 reaches end of support.” These will be available via the company’s usual update channels, and end on October 10, 2028, these updates will be distributed via the regular update channels. According to the business, the purpose of the extension was to assist consumers stay safe when they switched to Windows 11.

In a separate support article for IT administrators, Microsoft subtly revealed this three-year extension in late April. It reiterates that while the Microsoft 365 apps will “continue to function as before,” companies should upgrade to Windows 11 “to avoid performance and reliability issues over time.”

Users will still be able to utilize Office applications even if they choose not to upgrade to Windows 11 once support expires. However, employing an unsupported operating system can result in performance and reliability difficulties, as Microsoft points out in the document. Furthermore, these systems are susceptible to viruses, malware, and hacking attempts if security upgrades are not installed.

The blog post Microsoft published in January alerting companies that Office programs would no longer be supported on Windows 10 later this year differs greatly from this most recent phrasing. “You will need to upgrade to Windows 11 in order to use Microsoft 365 Applications on your device,” Microsoft stated at the time.

Users of Windows 10 have been strongly encouraged by Microsoft to update to the newest version. The tech giant dubbed the current year “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh” at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025. Given that the business is making significant investments in Copilot+ PCs, which have a number of AI features, the push makes sense.

In order to give businesses and individuals access to these AI features, the company has also developed subscription tiers. But until all of its users can use these capabilities, Microsoft won’t be able to profitably market its products.

However, a marketing campaign might not be sufficient. The Verge claims that millions of devices are unable to upgrade to the newest operating system because of Microsoft’s extremely stringent hardware requirements for Windows 11. These users can only upgrade to Windows 11 if they buy new computers.

With full-screen prompts, Microsoft has also been attempting to persuade Windows 10 users to upgrade to a new computer over the past year. Additionally, Extended Security Updates will be available for purchase for the first time for consumers who do not want to upgrade to Windows 11 or buy a new computer; this will cost $30 for an additional year of updates, while businesses will be able to purchase up to three years of extended updates.