Windows 10: Legacy OneNote for Windows 10 app is retiring on October 14, 2025

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft is ending support for “OneNote for Windows 10 (legacy),” which is a UWP version of the note-taking app built specifically for touch PCs in the old days. This doesn’t mean you won’t be allowed to use OneNote on the old operating system. You can keep using the new OneNote app, which is made for Windows 11.

Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that it intentionally made the sync feature work more slowly if you use OneNote UWP for Windows 10.

For those unaware, OneNote for Windows 10 or OneNote UWP is a modern app designed for touch screen devices and is based on the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). It shipped with Windows 10, but it’s no longer maintained. In the Microsoft Store, the app has a clear “Legacy” label in the title, but it enjoys a positive rating of 4.6 because it runs really well.



Don’t confuse it with the new version included with Office and Microsoft 365 version, which is new. It’s the legacy OneNote app that ships pre-included with Windows 10 that’s going away for good. Microsoft wants you to switch to the newer version because it’s dropping support and maintenance for the old app and the operating system altogether.

What’ll happen to your OneNote app data?


Microsoft confirmed that the app will turn into a read-only mode after October 14, 2025, barely two months from now. So you’ll be sort of locked into the app and can only see your data up to that point. You won’t be able to edit the notes or sync them to other devices after the end of the support date.

The obvious move is to migrate to the newer version of the app that’s available for Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 users. But before hastily switching apps, you must sync your notebooks to the OneDrive account. You need to do this when you’ve saved the notes locally.

As you can see in the below screenshot, you’re affected when the app’s titlebar reads “OneNote for Windows 10.” If your notes are not syncing to OneNote, make sure you do it before switching to new OneNote. To sync, right-click on each notebook and then select the Sync this notebook option.



If you have multiple notebooks, selecting the sync all notebooks option will ensure that every piece is backed up to the cloud.

After that, you can use the in-app migration option to switch to the new app.

It’s exactly how Microsoft migrated everyone from the old Mail and Calendar app to the new Outlook. But this migration isn’t as coercive as the Outlook app, as you need to manually sync it.

You can also download the new app from Microsoft and set it up with your Microsoft account. The data doesn’t restore automatically, and you must use the Open backups option to bring back all the new Notebooks to the new OneNote app.

Microsoft accounts are a big part of all native Windows apps, and even Sticky Notes and Notepad force you to use one now.

In our tests, Windows Latest spotted that Microsoft is showing an in-app banner that warns you about OneNote for Windows 10 end of life, and there’s a ‘Switch now’ button that redirects you to the new OneNote for Windows 11.

“This version of OneNote will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025, and become read-only. Switch to the new OneNote app to keep editing and get the latest features,” Microsoft noted.



If you wonder how the experience is with the new OneNote, it’s exactly what you expect from most MS products. The internet complaint list isn’t as long as what you see with the new Outlook, and users experience occasional freezes with text actions, but that could be an isolated issue.

The post Legacy OneNote for Windows 10 app is retiring on October 14, 2025 appeared first on Windows Latest

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Windows 10 Home and Pro End of Support on October 14, 2025

Windows 10 Home and Pro follows the Modern Lifecycle Policy.

This applies to the following editions: Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations

Microsoft will continue to support at least one Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel until October 14, 2025.

Support Dates

[table][tr][td]Listing[/td] [td]Start Date[/td] [td]Retirement Date[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Windows 10 Home and Pro[/td] [td]07/29/2015[/td] [td]10/14/2025[/td] [/tr] [/table]


Source: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lif...0-home-and-pro

 

How Can We Get Microsoft to Still offer Windows/Microsoft Defender Security Updates for Windows 10 After October 14, 2025?

Thanks Rob!

I remember that Microsoft kept the security definitions going on Windows Defender for a while after the EOL support date. But this link says that Windows Defender is also being retired on Windows 10, as of October 14, 2025:

Windows Defender for Windows 10 - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn

Jack

 

Microsoft Needs to Make Windows 10 Support Free After October 14, 2025, for 3 More Years & Release a Windows 11 For Legacy Windows 10 Systems That Can't Upgrade

Hello,

I am very upset that Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for free after October 14, 2025. When Windows 10 was released, it was supposed to be "The Last version of Windows" meaning that updates would be service based, and as long as you kept your Windows 10 system up-to-date, users would get security updates each month for the life of their system.

Why did Microsoft lie about Windows 10 being the last version of Windows when there is now a Windows 11? Now they are saying that Windows 10 will no longer be supported with security updates for free after October 14, 2025. Home users for the first time, will have the option of paying Microsoft a yearly fee (for up to three years, to get Windows 10 updates.) Why are they going back on their promise like this? People are saying, "Just upgrade to Windows 11." However, over 70% of user market share is dominated by Windows 10 and about 50% of the nation's almost one billion Windows 10 PCs can't automatically move to Windows 11, because of Windows 11's strict TPM2.0/CPU requirements. About half a billion (500 million Windows) 10 PCs won't be able to get updated after October 14, 2025. This is a security disaster waiting to happen!

At the very least, Microsoft should make the Windows 10 update three-year extension until October 14, 2028. (Free for everyone.) Why do we have to pay for Windows Security that has always been free in the past? This is not right! I think that so much of this could be solved, if Microsoft would release a special version of Windows 11 for older systems that don't have the TPM 2.0/CPM requirements. Start out with the update as optional in Windows Update, while making the Windows 10 three years of added support free for all Windows 10 users until October 14, 2028. Around the Winter of 2027 to the Spring of 2028, release the special experience pack of Windows 11 for legacy Windows 10 systems that can't currently update. In the year 2028 through those months, that special Windows 11 release for Windows 10 gets installed on legacy PC's. That way the entire Windows 10 PC universe stays protected for years to come!

Jack