Microsoft will discontinue standalone version of Windows 10 S next year

Starting next year, Microsoft will no longer offer Windows 10 S as a standalone version, but other Windows 10 versions will get an optional S mode. That says Microsoft CEO Joe Belfiore, who is responsible for Windows.

Belfiore confirms the discontinuation of Windows 10 S as a single version in a tweet. At the beginning of this month there were strong indications that this would happen, but at the time Microsoft had not yet confirmed it and it was not yet clear when the change would take effect. The change is rumored to take effect with the Redstone 4 update, which is due out in the spring.

If Microsoft stops offering Windows 10 S as a standalone version, it will probably be possible to switch back to a full version of Windows 10 on devices that ship with Windows 10 in S mode. The switch to Windows 10 Home is presumably free, while an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro costs money.

Microsoft released Windows 10 S last year and presented it as a secure and fast OS for education and business laptops. With the stripped-down operating system, which can only run apps from the Windows Store, the company wants to compete with Chromebooks. It is temporarily still possible to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free. That is possible until March 31, 2018. However, it is not clear what Microsoft will ask for an upgrade after that.