Breaking tradition, Microsoft revealed the end date for Windows 10 Home and Pro in a support document (opens in new tab). The page previously contained vague phrasing, stating the date was for “when specific Windows 10 versions would leave support.” It now seems both major versions of Windows 10 will be retired in late 2025, paving the way for a new edition.
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Microsoft is poised to reveal Windows 11 after dropping several hints about the upcoming OS in the past few weeks. The company is holding an event next week to reveal the “next-generation” of Windows. The show will take place on June 24 at 11am EST and was teased in an 11-minute start-up sound meditation video — the start time and video duration serving as hints that Windows 11 is coming. A teaser video also showed the Windows logo casting a reflection in the shape of the number “11.” We know Microsoft has been hard at work on a major update to its desktop operating system. Called Sun Valley, the update was anticipated to be a transformational overhaul of Windows 10 rather than an entirely new version of the OS. As part of Sun Valley, Windows will receive a ground-up makeover consisting of a new Start Menu, Task Manager, Action Center and File Explorer. Tablet mode will receive major upgrades, dark mode will be expanded, and legacy icons will be replaced by new ones based on the Fluent Design System. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said this will be the most “significant update in a decade.” Windows 10 launched in July 2015 with a five-year mainstream support phase followed by a second five-year extended support. However, we’re not yet in the extended support phase, when Microsoft stops adding new features and only maintains the OS, despite being more than five years in. Microsoft previously described Windows 10 as the “last version of Windows” but clearly the company is ready to move on to a new edition. What led to this change of heart is unclear, and how Microsoft goes about future updates remains a mystery, but all signs point to the adoption of Windows 11 and the eventual death of Windows 10. We will provide full coverage of Microsoft’s Windows 11 event next week and give you a breakdown of all the features coming to the world’s most popular desktop and laptop operating system.
