Microsoft teases new Windows 10 S 'mode' in 2019

This is a move away from Windows 10 S as its own separate, stripped-down version of Windows 10.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News

Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.

Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials

SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.

See full bio

Roger Cheng

March 7, 2018 7:37 a.m. PT

Microsoft is ending Windows 10 S as its own distinct operating system.

Windows 10 S, a stripped-down operation system targeting schools and students, launched last year as an alternative operating system to full-blown Windows 10. The simplified OS took a page from Google's Chrome OS, which school administrators have flocked to for its simplicity. Window 10 S users, for example, could only install apps from the Windows Store.

Joe Belfiore, vice president of the operating systems group at Microsoft, tweeted Wednesday that in 2019, Microsoft will introduce Windows 10 S as a "mode" of Windows 10.

Presumably, the new S mode will still restrict the system to running only apps from the Windows Store, which Microsoft says offers a more secure, faster experience.

We use Win10S as an option for schools or businesses that want the 'low-hassle'/ guaranteed performance version. Next year 10S will be a "mode" of existing versions, not a distinct version. SO … I think it's totally fine/good that it's not mentioned.
— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) March 7, 2018

Computing Guides

Laptops

Desktops & Monitors

Computer Accessories

Photography

Tablets & E-Readers

3D Printers