Microsoft warns users to upgrade from Windows 10 20H2 before support ends

Microsoft has issued a warning -- or reminder, depending on your perspective -- about the impending end of support for Windows 10 20H2.

Also known as Windows 10 October 2020 update, this is not the first time Microsoft has urged people to upgrade their operating system to a version that will be supported for longer. The deadline is just three months away, so what are your options?

See also:

• Microsoft is tempting G Suite legacy free edition users to Microsoft 365 with a special deal
• Microsoft is making some important changes to the Windows 11 taskbar with the KB5010414 update
• Clever optimizations have slashed Microsoft Teams' power consumption in half while boosting performance

Microsoft would, of course, be happiest if everyone upgraded to Windows 11, but the hardware requirements for the latest version of the operating system mean that this is simply not an open for everyone. The support lifecycle that exists for Windows has been put in place for a number of reasons, but the primary one is that it reduces the number of different editions of Windows that Microsoft needs to produce updates for.

As such, it is little surprise that anyone still running 20H2 will soon find that they are soon forcibly delivered the most recent feature update.

In a new posting on the Windows lifecycle support page entitled "Windows 10, version 20H2 end of servicing", Microsoft says:

Windows 10, version 20H2 will reach the end of servicing on May 10, 2022. This applies to the following editions^* of Windows 10 released in October of 2020:

- Windows 10 Home, version 20H2

- Windows 10 Pro, version 20H2

- Windows 10 Pro Education, version 20H2

- Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, version 20H2

These editions will no longer receive security updates after May 10, 2022. Customers who contact Microsoft Support after this date will be directed to update their device to the latest version of Windows 10 to remain supported.

It is worth pointing out that for anyone running Windows 10, version 20H2 for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise, there is a further year of support, meaning that end of servicing is May 9, 2023.

Image credit: tanuha2001 / Shutterstock