Microsoft to Freeze New Office Features on Windows 10 Starting 2026

Microsoft is officially drawing the curtain on new Microsoft 365 features for Windows 10, as part of its broader push to move users toward Windows 11.

Beginning August 2026, users on Windows 10 will no longer receive feature updates for Microsoft Office apps, although essential security fixes will continue for two more years.

This means that after August 2026, Windows 10 users who rely on Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps will be stuck with the functionality they have at that point, no AI-powered tools, design upgrades, or productivity enhancements moving forward. To access future improvements, users will need to be on Windows 11.

Microsoft clarified that this change affects all Office users on the Current Channel, which includes individuals, families, and most small businesses.

For larger enterprise customers on long-term release cycles, the timeline is slightly extended, with the final feature updates arriving in October 2026 for monthly enterprise users and January 2027 for semi-annual releases.

Despite cutting off new features, Microsoft will continue to deliver security patches for Office apps on Windows 10 until October 2028, aligning with its extended support timeline for the operating system itself.

This move underscores Microsoft's growing urgency to phase out Windows 10, which is still used by millions worldwide.

With Windows 10’s own official end-of-support date set for October 14, 2025, the clock is ticking for users to make the transition. Microsoft has already started incentivizing upgrades by offering a free year of critical security updates for those who activate Windows Backup before the deadline.

The company is betting big on Windows 11 and its tighter integration with cloud tools, AI services, and more modern hardware.

Analysts say this shift in Office support is a calculated effort to nudge holdouts who’ve resisted upgrading their systems.

For users and organizations still relying on Windows 10, the message is clear: upgrade now or risk being left behind, not just by the operating system, but by the tools you use every day.