As of January 31, 2023, Microsoft will stop selling digital licenses of Windows 10 from its website. So, if you're planning on building yourself a Windows 10 PC, you better start now.
The folks over at PC World first spotted the news at the bottom of several Windows 10 product pages on the Microsoft store website with a footnote reading:
"January 31, 2023, will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale. Windows 10 will remain supported with security updates that help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malware until October 14, 2025."
It's important to note that Microsoft isn't ending support for Windows 10 for another couple of years, so existing Windows 10 users don't have to worry and still won't miss on key new features like DirectStorage.
You'll still be able to find some Windows 10 licenses at a third-party retailer. Let's be honest, you were buying a cheap key from elsewhere anyways. Though pricing could end up all over the place now that there will be a limited number of keys floating around.
This means that system builders and Windows 10 holdouts will have a challenging time avoiding Windows 11 for the foreseeable future. Recent updates have added new features to Windows 11, making the OS much better for DX11 and DX10 games. Personally, I've been a big fan of some of the quality-of-life that were added in the last few months, like the File Explorer tabs, which have made organizing my messy desktop so much easier.
So for another ten days, you can still pick Windows 10 Pro for $139 at Microsoft. You probably shouldn't, but the option is still open to you for now.
