January 2023 is the last month you can buy a Windows 10 license

by Alexandru Poloboc

With an overpowering desire to always get to the bottom of things and uncover the truth, Alex spent most of his time working as a news reporter, anchor,… read more

Published on January 19, 2023

What we’re about to tell you right now is really important and should be treated as a priority, especially if you value your online safety.

If you are still interested in buying a licensed Windows 10 copy, you’d better hurry because Microsoft will stop directly selling Windows 10 licenses by the end of the month.

The operating system will still be supported until 2025, but licensed versions of the popular OS will no longer be sold.

No more Windows 10 licenses from Microsoft

Please keep in mind that, according to notices posted to the Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Workstation pages on Microsoft’s site, the company will stop digital downloads of Windows 10 on Jan. 31, 2023.

As we previously mentioned, Microsoft will still support Windows 10 for a few more years, but we won’t be able to buy a Windows 10 license except through existing stores of licenses at third-party retailers.

Remember that some versions of Windows 10, such as 20H2, have already reached end of support. That’s why we recommend that you upgrade to Windows 10 22H2, the last version of the OS.

In the above-mentioned post, Microsoft says that January 31, 2023 will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale.

For those of you that didn’t quite catch it, the elimination of the Windows 10 license basically means that Windows 11 will not only be the operating system that Microsoft wants you to buy.

Allow us to rephrase and say that it’s also the only operating system that Microsoft will allow you to buy, therefore the obvious choice.

Don’t worry, we’ll see this again in a few years when the Redmond-based tech colossus will release Windows 12 to the public.

That being said, just because Microsoft won’t sell them anymore, doesn’t mean you can’t still get your hands on a licensed copy of Windows 10.

In fact, the alternative for those wishing to buy a Windows 10 license will be to turn instead to third-party retailers that still have the product in stock.

Keep in mind that 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.

There’s also the option to install Windows 10 on your machine without paying for it, but you will lose the ability to personalize your PC and we don’t recommend it at all.

There will also be a watermark on your desktop asking you to activate Windows, so yet another reason to go official.

Have you already migrated to the newer Windows 11? Share your experience with us in the comments section below.