Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10 2004 in two months

The official Windows Update Twitter account has published a notification about the impending end of support for Windows 10 2004. The same update is now available in the official Windows Health documentation.

Microsoft plans to stop supporting Windows 10 2004 (also known as May 2020 Update) on December 14, 2021. After that, computers running that version will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates. Note that the end of support applies to Windows 10 Home, Professional, Enterprise, and Education.

End of support also means Microsoft will start force-updating systems with Windows versions that approach their end of life. Microsoft recommends updating computers to the latest version of Windows 10 as soon as possible. Alternatively, if you are ready, you jump straight to Windows 11. The latter is available via Windows Update on compatible systems with Windows 10 2004, 20H2, and 21H1. Others can go with Upgrade Assistant or using the officiall ISO images.

According to the latest report from AdDuplex, Windows 10 2004 is third the most popular Windows version in the world with 14.5% of the total market. Windows 10 20H2 (October 2020 Update) holds 36.1%, and Windows 10 21H1 is in first place with 38.1%. AdDuplex is to publish the October 2021 report, which will be particularly interesting, considering that Microsoft shipped the stable version of Windows 11 on October 5.

Once Microsoft ends supporting Windows 10 2004 on December 14, 2021, the company will continue providing updates for the following releases:

• Windows 11,
• the soon-to-be-released Windows 10 21H1,
• and Windows 10 version 20H2.

The latter will receive updates until May 10, 2022 (Home and Pro editions) and May 9, 2023 (Enterprise and Education editions). Microsoft plans to retire Windows 10 altogether on October 14, 2025. That means there is no need to rush jumping to Windows 11 if you are not ready for a somewhat controversial feature and UI changes.