Microsoft Extends Windows 10 1809 Support In Light Of COVID-19 Complications
However, a lot has changed between now and February; most notably with the stay-at-home lockdowns due to COVID-19. With this in mind, Microsoft no longer feels that May 12th is a realistic date for its customers to have upgraded their systems to newer versions of Windows 10. The company writes:
We have been evaluating the public health situation and understand the impact this is having on many of our customers. To help ease some of the burdens customers are facing, we are going to delay the scheduled end of service date for the Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Core editions of Windows 10, version 1809 to November 10, 2020. This means devices will receive monthly security updates only from June to November. The final security update for these editions of Windows 10, version 1809 will be released on November 10, 2020 instead of May 12, 2020.
So, rest assured, regular customers and businesses running the October 2018 Update still have a few more months to complete their transition plan to either the Windows 10 May 2019 Update or the Windows 10 November 2019 Update.
Microsoft regularly drops support for older versions of Windows in an effort to make sure that customers are protected against threats on the internet and other security pitfalls. The company has even implemented mechanisms to “force” upgrades to newer builds of Windows 10, because in its words, “Keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health.”
