Python 3.10 End of Life: October 2026, When Security Fixes Stop
Python 3.10 reaches end of life in October 2026, five years after its release on October 4, 2021. The Python developer guide gives the end of life by month; we show it as October 31, 2026, the last day of that month. Python 3.10 has accepted only security fixes since April 5, 2023. After end of life the Python team releases nothing further for it, security fixes included.
python --version says 3.10, plan to be on 3.14 before November. Python 3.14 is the version that keeps getting regular bugfix releases; 3.13 leaves its bugfix phase on October 1, 2026, and 3.11 and 3.12 are already security-only.Every Python version and its status
| Version | Status in the developer guide on September 19, 2026 | First release | Bugfix phase ends | End of life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python 3.14 | bugfix | October 7, 2025 | October 1, 2027 | October 31, 2030 |
| Python 3.13 | bugfix | October 7, 2024 | October 1, 2026 | October 31, 2029 |
| Python 3.12 | security | October 2, 2023 | April 2, 2025 | October 31, 2028 |
| Python 3.11 | security | October 24, 2022 | April 1, 2024 | October 31, 2027 |
| Python 3.10 | security | October 4, 2021 | April 5, 2023 | October 31, 2026 |
| Python 3.9 | end-of-life | October 5, 2020 | May 17, 2022 | October 31, 2025 |
The developer guide states end of life by month for supported versions. Where it gives a month we show the last day of it.
What the statuses mean
- bugfix: bug fixes and security fixes are accepted, and regular releases with installers are published.
- security: after two years (18 months for versions before 3.13), only security fixes are accepted and no more binaries are released. New versions are source-only and come out as needed.
- end-of-life: five years after release, support ends.
What actually changes for a 3.10 application
The interpreter keeps running. What ends is the supply of fixes: a vulnerability found in the standard library after end of life is fixed in 3.11 and newer and stays open in 3.10. The second effect arrives faster than most teams expect: the packaging ecosystem moves on. Libraries drop 3.10 from their supported versions and stop publishing wheels for it, so a routine dependency upgrade starts failing, or silently pins you to old releases that have their own unfixed flaws.
If Python came from your operating system rather than python.org, the distribution's own support applies to that package instead. Check the operating system's end date as well: our EOL Checker answers it.
What to do
- Find every 3.10. Servers, container base images, CI runners, serverless runtimes and developer laptops each carry their own interpreter.
- Pick the target by phase, not by number. Python 3.14 is in the bugfix phase through October 1, 2027. Python 3.13 leaves it on October 1, 2026, and 3.11 and 3.12 are already security-only, so a move to any of those three lands on a version that gets security fixes only.
- Upgrade dependencies first, on 3.10, to releases that also support the target version. Then switch the interpreter. That separates the two kinds of breakage.
- If the application cannot move in time, know which vendor, if any, still patches the interpreter you run, and treat the deadline as a risk with an owner. The options on our Python page show what is covered today.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Python 3.10 end of life?
October 2026. The Python developer guide lists the end of life of 3.10 by month, five years after its release; we show it as October 31, 2026, the last day of that month. After it, the Python team releases no further fixes for 3.10, including security fixes.
Is Python 3.10 still getting updates?
Only security fixes, as source-only releases. Python 3.10 left its bugfix phase on April 5, 2023, and since then the Python team has shipped no new binary installers for it.
Which Python versions are supported now?
Python 3.14 is in the bugfix phase and gets regular releases. Python 3.13 is too until October 1, 2026, when it becomes security-only. Python 3.10, 3.11 and 3.12 get security fixes only, and 3.10 stops getting those in October 2026. Python 3.9 and older are end of life.
Related
- Python — every version, live status and EOL Risk Score
- Python end of life: every version
- NumPy support windows
- How we verify our dates