Microsoft Will Not Support Office on Windows 10 After October 14

If you were looking for a sign that Microsoft is serious about its October 14 end of support (EOS) date for Windows 10, this might be it. Today, the company confirmed that Windows 10 will exit support on that date as planned, and it updated its Support website to indicate that it will no longer support the Office desktop apps on Windows 10, either, putting it in the same category as Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

“Window 10 is being retired after October 14th,2025 and will no longer be supported,” a new post to the Microsoft Tech Community site explains. “With security threats on the rise, it is imperative you upgrade, immediately.”

The firm also confirmed that it will offer a paid Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program for individuals and businesses that need more time to upgrade or migrate to Windows 11. The ESU is an annual subscription that enables enrolled PCs to continue receiving security updates after the Windows 10 EOS date. Individuals can enroll in the ESU program for one year only, while businesses and other commercial entities can enroll one year at a time for a total of three years, with the price doubling each year.

Confusing matters, probably deliberately, Microsoft also notes that the Office desktop apps, which it now calls the Microsoft 365 Apps or Applications, will no longer be supported after October 14, 2025. One can assume that those paying for the ESU program can continue using these apps with Windows 10 while enrolled, but the way this is worded is unclear. “To use Microsoft 365 Applications on your device, you will need to upgrade to Windows 11,” the post explains right after discussing the ESU program.

Further confusing, the Microsoft blog post is titled Free Upgrade to Windows 11 (For a Limited Time Only), but it never discusses what this means. Windows 11 has been a free upgrade for Windows 10 users with compatible PCs since its release, and that has never changed.

As for the Office apps, the Microsoft Support website now provides a warning for Windows 10 users as well.

“Microsoft 365 apps are no longer supported on Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 now that these operating systems have reached their end of support dates,” the site explains. “Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported on Windows 10 after it reaches end of support on October 14, 2025. o avoid performance and reliability issues, we recommend that you move to Windows 11.”

When Windows 10 exits support, you will no longer receive feature or security updates for the Office apps. But if you upgrade to Windows 11, those updates will resume. But if you’re not ready to upgrade, no worries. “Office on the web is an available alternative,” the site claims.