Microsoft has confirmed that it will stop selling Windows 10 product keys/licenses on February 1, which means that January 31 will be the last day to buy a copy of the old operating system. Windows 11 is Microsoft’s long-term plan, while Windows 10 will be retired in October 2025.
Although Microsoft will stop selling Windows 10 licenses in February, according to the documentation, Microsoft will not remove plans to install media (.ISO) files or media creation tools. This concerns all versions of Windows 10, including Home and Professional editions.
A message posted on the Microsoft Online Store confirms that “January 31, 2023 will be the last day of sales for this Windows 10 download”. This message is visible across all editions of Windows 10 and only applies to the online store, but users will likely not be able to purchase licenses at Microsoft-affiliated offline stores either.
The notice confirms that Microsoft will continue to offer Windows 10 until October 14, 2025. This includes protection against viruses, spyware and other malware.
As of Jan. 31, the Windows 10 download page for consumers did not mention “downloads” offline. Likewise, Windows 10 Enterprise does not warn of this feature. This means that the Microsoft Store notification applies only to “paid downloads” and not to ISO images provided by the download portal.
Microsoft will also make the OS available for download through its MSDN network.
While Windows 10 licenses cannot be purchased from the Microsoft Online Store, users can also purchase product keys from other online retailers.
Users can also purchase a Windows 11 license and downgrade their copy to a Windows 10 system using an ISO image. Downgrading from Windows 11 to Windows 10 is still possible, and Microsoft will automatically activate the Windows 10 license.
