After more than a decade of service, Windows 10 is heading into its twilight, and Microsoft has begun preparing users for the official end. The company has released KB5066198, an optional preview update that may represent the last non-security patch for the operating system. Scheduled for its full release on October 14th, 2025, this update will be part of the final round of maintenance before Windows 10 transitions into extended support.
The patch brings systems to Build 19045.6396 and primarily focuses on ironing out a couple of notable bugs. The first was an issue with SMBv1 protocol connections, where users could not properly connect to shared files and folders on NetBIOS over TCP/IP following an earlier update. The second fix relates to Windows Autopilot, addressing a situation in which the Enrollment Status Page would fail to load during the setup process in Windows 10 version 22H2. While these are relatively niche problems, they’re significant for enterprise environments that still rely heavily on stable deployments.
For everyday users, KB5066198 is available now either through Windows Update or the Update Catalog. Installing it ensures that systems are running the most polished version of Windows 10 ahead of its end of life. But after this release, the OS won’t see any further functional changes. Instead, only security patches will continue, and even those will be limited to customers who join Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.
This effectively marks the beginning of the end for Windows 10, which remains in use on nearly half of all Windows PCs worldwide. The looming cutoff date may create a sense of urgency for those still relying on the OS, especially as vulnerabilities could stack up quickly without regular fixes. For users unwilling to migrate to Windows 11, ESU enrollment provides a temporary lifeline, but it also underscores that Windows 10 is now moving firmly into legacy status.