General information on Windows 10

Windows 10 from Microsoft was officially launched in July 2015 and still has an estimated market share of more than 60%; Windows 10 is therefore still very popular and very stable. Windows 10 was offered free of charge to all users of Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.1 (no volume licenses). Windows 10 was essentially offered for 32bit and 64bit, in different language and country versions and editions (Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education as well as IoT & LTSC).

Free Support for the latest release (Windows 10 22H2) will officially end on October 14, 2025:

• Windows 10, Home ⇾ 14. October 2025 Microsoft

• Windows 10, Professional ⇾ 14. October 2025 Microsoft

• Windows 10, Enterprise ⇾ 14. October 2025 Microsoft

• Windows 10, Education ⇾ 14. October 2025 Microsoft

• Windows 10, IoT Enterprise ⇾ 14. October 2025 Microsoft

Support extension for Windows 10

Now it's official: Support for Windows 10 can be extended until October 13, 2026.

Requirements for Windows 10 support extension:

• Enabling Windows Backup in OneDrive (data transfer to the cloud)

• Use of Microsoft Rewards (1000 points, collect points with Bing or Edge)

• Paid registration for the ESU program; approx. 30 Euros

• Private Windows 10 users in the EU will receive the Windows 10 support extension free of charge, if Windows 10 has been linked to a Microsoft account.

Therefore, it can be assumed that Windows 12 will be launched in October 2026.

Windows 10 LTSC

Important: Support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 will end on January 12, 2027 (Microsoft); Support for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 will end on January 13, 2032. (Microsoft).

Specifications & System requirements for Windows 10

• Processor: up Intel Atom/Celeron (1GHz, SoC, ..)
• RAM: min. 1GB (32bit) or 2GB RAM (64bit)
• HDD: min. 16GB (32bit), 32GB (64bit)
• Firmware: Legacy or UEFI (TPM 1.2 with SecureBoot, Bitlocker)
• Graphic: WDDM 1.0, compatible with DirectX 9
• Monitor: 800x600
• Account: Local, Microsoft-account, AD-account, Azure-account

General information on Windows 11

Windows 11 from Microsoft was officially launched in October 2021 and has a market share of around 35% to date. Windows 11 was offered free of charge to all Windows 10 users (no volume licenses). Windows 11 is offered exclusively for 64bit, in different language and country versions and editions (Windows 11 Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education as well as IoT & LTSC).

The latest release: Windows 11 25H2; on average 10 years of support, so the end of support for Windows 11 could be in 2031, assuming there is a successor (Windows 12).

Specifications & System requirements for Windows 11

• Processor: Intel/AMD 1GHz, 2 Cores, Soc, ..)
• RAM: minimum 4GB RAM
• HDD: minimum 64GB
• Firmware: only with UEFI + SecureBoot (TPM 2.0)
• Graphic: WDDM 2.0, compatible with DirectX 12
• Monitor: 1280x720 (720p)
• Account: Microsoft-/AD-/Azure-account mandatory for setup; possible locally with tricks

General information on Windows 12

Work on Microsoft's Windows 12 has already begun, so it can be assumed that Windows 12 will be released. As Microsoft has confirmed, there will be a Windows 11 25H2 update; therefore, the release date for Windows 12 will likely be in 2026 rather than (as hoped) at the end of Windows 10 in October 2025. Windows 12 will certainly place a high priority on security, AI, and the cloud.

Like Windows 11, Windows 12 will only be available in 64bit. Updates from Windows 10 or Windows 11 are very likely.

Expected Specifications & System requirements for Windows 12

• Processor: Intel 8. Generations or AMD (1GHz, 2 Cores, Soc, ..)
• RAM: minimum 8GB or 16 GB RAM
• HDD: minimum 128GB, possibly even exclusively SSD
• Firmware: only with UEFI + SecureBoot (TPM 2.0)
• Graphic: WDDM 2.0, compatible with DirectX 12
• Monitor: 1280x720 (720p)
• Account: Microsoft-/AD-/Azure-account mandatory for setup