Windows XP SP3 End of Life Date
Windows XP SP3 end-of-life date, support status, and CVE risk. Data from endoflife.date and official vendor documentation.
Windows 5-sp3 was released on April 21, 2008 and support ended on April 8, 2014 — a supported lifespan of 6 years, longer than the 2 years and 7 months median for Windows releases. It was not an LTS release; Windows reserves longer patch windows for its LTS versions. It has been without security patches for 12 years and 4 months. 42 newer Windows releases have shipped since.
Commercial vendors offer security patches beyond EOL. Compare your options.
Compare Options →| Version | Latest | EOL Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| → XP SP3 | 5.1.2600 | Apr 8, 2014 | EOL |
| Vista SP2 | 6.0.6200 | Apr 11, 2017 | EOL |
| 7 SP1 | 6.1.7601 | Jan 14, 2020 | EOL |
| 8 | 6.2.9200 | Jan 12, 2016 | EOL |
| 8.1 | 6.3.9600 | Jan 10, 2023 | EOL |
| 10 1507 IOT | 10.0.10240 | Nov 10, 2020 | EOL |
| 10 1507 | 10.0.10240 | May 9, 2017 | EOL |
| 10 1507 (E) LTS | 10.0.10240 | Oct 14, 2025 | EOL |
What does Windows XP SP3 end of life mean?
When Windows XP SP3 reaches end of life, the maintainers stop issuing security patches for this version. CVEs discovered after the EOL date are publicly disclosed on the National Vulnerability Database with no patch available. Exploit code frequently appears on GitHub within days of disclosure.
The CVE blind spot: Most vulnerability scanners check for known CVEs but do not flag the ongoing accumulation of unpatched vulnerabilities in EOL software versions. Running Windows XP SP3 past its EOL date creates a permanently growing attack surface that standard security tooling will not surface.
Migrate to Windows 11 26H1 (E) or implement compensating controls — network segmentation, enhanced monitoring, restricted access — while migration is underway.