- Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC lifecycle will change from 10 to 5 years.
- The lifecycle change will start with Windows 10 21H2 and older releases will continue the 10-year cycle.
- Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC lifecycle won’t be affected.
Microsoft is planning to shorten the lifecycle of its Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for Windows 10 to five years from ten.
The announcement appeared at the Tech Community blog, where the company explained that with the release of version 21H2 during the second half of the year, the Windows 10 Client LSTC will change to a five-year lifecycle to align with the support schedule of Office LTSC.
Since the Long Term Servicing Channel is available for Windows 10 Enterprise and IoT, the company also clarifies that the change only applies to Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and Office 2021. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will continue to be supported with the 10-year lifecycle.
According to the announcement, after consulting with customers, the company has found that the full ten years cycle is not required most of the time for devices that cannot be upgraded every year. Since technology changes quickly, it is challenging to support a release for so many years. As a result, starting with version 21H2, the Windows 10 Client LTSC will only have a five-year support cycle.
The change will only affect version 21H2 and higher releases. Older versions will continue to be supported for the remaining time until they reach the ten-year lifecycle or Microsoft announces a change in the product cycle policy.
