Microsoft Will Now Support Office Apps on Windows 10 Until 2028
If you can’t or don’t want to upgrade to Windows 11 and you’re using Microsoft Office (now known as Microsoft 365, of course), there’s good news: support for Word, Excel, and other Office apps is being extended for an additional three years beyond the end-of-life date of Windows 10 itself.
The end of support date for Windows 10, after which Microsoft will no longer offer further software updates or technical support, is set for Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Microsoft 365 Apps will now be supported until Tuesday, October 10, 2028.
This is according to an updated support document published by Microsoft and discovered by The Verge . Until now, there was some confusion about whether Microsoft would end support for Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 programs running on it on the same day, so now we have some clarity.
According to Microsoft, this shift is to “help maintain security as you move to Windows 11,” so they obviously still want you to start using Windows 11 as soon as possible. The extension applies to both the Office version, which can be purchased for a one-time fee, and the Microsoft 365 subscription version, which can be purchased on a monthly or annual basis.
There are also a few important caveats here: Even if Office apps will be updated until 2028, you really don’t want to run them on an unsupported operating system. If you’re using Windows 10 this October, you’ll have to pay for Extended Security Updates ($30 per year for home users) to make sure you’re protected from hackers and viruses.
Even though you won’t get any new features with extended security updates, your PC will at least be protected from any nasty security threats that arise, so you can continue using Microsoft 365 without worry. Extended support for Word, Excel and other applications will not cost you any extra money beyond what you already pay for them.
Ideally, Microsoft wants everyone to use Windows 11, and the advice if your system doesn’t meet the required specifications is to go out and buy a new Windows PC. Of course, this is a more difficult task for businesses that need to update tens or hundreds of workstations.
Microsoft has added screensavers to Windows 10 that encourage users to upgrade to the latest operating system, while also telling anyone who will listen about the benefits of Windows 11. Windows 11 was released back in October 2021, but it is believed that more than 60% of computers are still running Windows 10.
There’s one more caveat to the support you can expect from Microsoft after October: If you contact Microsoft for technical assistance with Office apps on Windows 10 and the problem doesn’t occur on Windows 11, you’ll be prompted to update your operating system. “If a customer is unable to upgrade to Windows 11, support will only provide troubleshooting assistance; technical workarounds may be limited or unavailable,” Microsoft says .