Microsoft is killing OneNote for Windows 10

Windows 10 will reach its end of mainstream support in less than six months, completing its decade-old journey and leaving space for Windows 11 with its AI shenanigans, fancy user interfaces, and other improvements. The end of Windows 10 support is quite an event in Microsoft's world, and as usual, it will affect more products, not just the operating system itself.

In a new Microsoft 365 Message Center post, the company announced that OneNote for Windows 10 is going down as well. On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will end OneNote support, and the app will no longer receive new features and security updates. As such, users are strongly recommended to migrate to OneNote for Windows desktop app (part of Microsoft 365).

As we continue to enhance OneNote with a unified and modern experience, we want to remind you that OneNote for Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. To avoid disruptions, we strongly urge your organization to fully transition to OneNote on Windows (OneNote M365) and uninstall the legacy application as soon as possible. Migrating ensures continued access to the latest features, security updates, and a modernized experience.

While OneNote for Windows 10 still has roughly half a year, Microsoft will start nagging users with update prompts much earlier. For starters, in June 2025, Microsoft will slow down the app's sync performance, thus forcing customers to ditch the old app, especially those using OneNote on multiple devices or for real-time collaboration.

Next, in July 2025, banners will make their way to OneNote for Windows 10 to make sure users are aware of the upcoming end of support. Microsoft says these banners "could impact users workflows." You do not say, Microsoft.

OneNote on Windows offers several benefits over its outgoing sibling, such as Microsoft Information Protection sensitivity labeling, new features and Copilot integration, security updates, bug fixes, and continuous support. To help users and IT admins migrate from the old OneNote for Windows 10 to OneNote on Windows, Microsoft recently published migration guidance, which you can check out here.