Microsoft revives Windows 10 Beta Channel even though OS doesn't have long left

Windows Insiders set to get first hands on feature updates

Microsoft is reopening the Windows 10 Beta Channel for Windows Insiders in a clear sign that there is still life in the old dog.

With Windows 11 failing to set the market alight, Microsoft has confirmed that it would be "revisiting our approach to Windows 10."

Redmond had already introduced Copilot to keep Windows 10 company in its twilight years, and reopening the Beta Channel is the latest indicator that more updates are in the pipeline for the venerable operating system.

"To bring new features and more improvements to Windows 10 as needed, we need a place to do active feature development with Windows Insiders," Microsoft said.

"So today, we are opening the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders who are currently on Windows 10. This will allow us to try out new features for Windows 10, version 22H2, with Insiders before releasing them to all Windows 10 customers."

October 14, 2025, is still the end-of-support date for Windows 10, and the hardware requirements for Windows 11 mean that users without the requisite silicon won't be able to switch to the Canary or Dev Channels.

Customers signing up for the Windows 10 Beta Channel can expect to receive new features via Microsoft's Control Feature Rollout (CFR) technology, meaning a subset of Insiders will get the new functionality first, ramping up – or being pulled back – as Microsoft monitors feedback. Toggling the "get latest updates as they are available" switch in the Windows Update settings will mean the user will be one of the first in line for new features.

As ever, there is no guarantee that whatever turns up in the Beta Channel will ever make it into the release version of Windows 10. However, considering the final version of Windows 10 was 22H2, which is getting decidedly long in the tooth, some new features will be welcome.

Windows 10 seems set to remain the most popular version of Windows for a while yet, despite Microsoft's best attempts to encourage a migration – efforts that so far have not included a ceasefire on the hardware requirements for Windows 11 front. ®