Reminder: Windows 10 version 1909 support ends in May for Home users

[harlan4096]

Support for Windows 10 version 1909 will end on May 11, 2021 for Home users. Each year, support runs out for two versions of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system. Devices won't receive security updates anymore when the operating system reaches end of life. Microsoft recommends that administrators upgrade systems to new versions that are still supported.

Windows 10 version 1909 was released in November 2019. Feature-wise, it was a lighter update that did not introduce many new features to the operating system. Notable features were improved OneDrive integration, or action center & notification improvements.

The version reached "ready for broad deployment" status in 2021 alongside the newer 2004 version of the operating system. Enterprise customers get extended support when they install the feature update released in the second half of the year. While the consumer version will run out of support in May 2021, the Enterprise version remains supported until May 2022.

Update notifications are displayed on, at least, some Windows 10 version 1909 devices already. The update reminders, displayed in the lower right hand side of the task bar, suggest to update to Windows 10 version 2004. It is unclear if the designated version is offered exclusively, or if newer versions of Windows 10, particularly Windows 10 version 20H2, is suggested as an upgrade on some devices.

Ideally, administrators would get the offer to upgrade in Windows Updates. It appears that this is not the case for some users. We received several emails in the past weeks from users who are still on version 1909 who stated that they were not offered the upgrade, but got a "The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is on its way. Once it’s ready for your device, you’ll see the update available on this page" message instead.

Windows 10 version 2004 has two issues listed on the official Release Health website, and it is likely that affected devices have been linked by Microsoft to one of these issues. Both affect devices with Conexant audio drivers. Microsoft notes that it is working on a resolution with Synaptics, and that it started to allow "certain devices with the affected driver" to update to the new version of Windows 10.

Administrators should not "attempt to manually update using the Update now button or the Media Creation Tool" until the issue is resolved, according to Microsoft. The main issue was opened in May 2020, and last updated in January 2021. In two months, Windows 10 version 1909 will run out of support, and it is unclear right now whether the issue will be resolved by that time.

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