Microsoft will stop selling Windows 10 licenses soon

If you’re interested in building a Windows 10 PC running Windows 10, you’d better hurry — Microsoft will stop directly selling Windows 10 licenses by the end of the month.

According to notices posted to the Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Workstation pages on Microsoft’s site, Microsoft will halt digital downloads of Windows 10 on Jan. 31, 2023. While Microsoft will support Windows 10 for a few more years, Microsoft’s decision means that you won’t be able to buy a Windows 10 license except through existing stores of licenses at third-party retailers.

“January 31, 2023 will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale. Windows 10 will remain supported with security updates that help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malware until October 14, 2025,” Microsoft’s Windows 10 Home product page says. Windows 10 Pro’s product page says the same.

The elimination of the Windows 10 license means that Windows 11 will not only be the operating system that Microsoft wants you to buy, it’s also the only operating system that Microsoft will allow you you to buy. Naturally, Microsoft will encourage you to buy Windows 11 licenses instead.

The alternative for those wishing to buy a Windows 10 license will be to turn instead to third-party retailers. OEM copies of Windows 10 are still available at Amazon, although the Windows 10 product listing lacks any indication that Microsoft itself will soon stop selling Windows 10 licenses. Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool for Windows 10 also remains in place, for now.Read More