Python 3.10 Reaches End of Life on October 1, 2026 as Python 3.15 Slips to October 9
Python 3.10 reached end of life on October 1, 2026. The Python release team published Python 3.10.22 that day and stated in its release announcement that it is the final release of the 3.10 series, which will receive no further security updates. Separately, the next version, Python 3.15, missed its planned October 1 date and is now expected on October 9, 2026.
Python sits behind a lot of business software: Django and Flask web applications, data pipelines, reporting scripts, back-office automation and most AI features. Anything still running on Python 3.10 keeps working today, but newly discovered security flaws in that version of the language will no longer be fixed by the Python project. Moving to a supported version is routine work for a team that provides software development and maintenance services, and it is far cheaper to schedule than to do in a hurry after an incident.
What happened to Python 3.10 on October 1, 2026?
Python 3.10 moved from "security fixes only" to "end of life", which means the code is frozen and nothing further will be released for it. The official schedule for the version, PEP 619, states that as of October 1, 2026, Python 3.10 has reached the end-of-life phase of its release cycle, and lists 3.10.22 as the final release.
This was planned, not sudden. Python 3.10 was first released on October 4, 2021, and every Python version gets five years of support. The Python developer guide describes the last stage in one line: five years after a release, support ends, the release cycle is frozen and no further changes are allowed.
The October 1 announcement covered five versions at once: 3.10.22, 3.11.17, 3.12.15, 3.13.16 and 3.14.8. According to the announcement, they share a set of security fixes, including issues in the modules that unpack tar and zip archives and in SSL handling. Python 3.10.22 is therefore the last chance to get those fixes on the 3.10 line.
Does software built on Python 3.10 stop working now?
No. End of life is a support deadline, not a switch-off. An application running on Python 3.10 on October 6, 2026 behaves exactly as it did on September 30.
What changes is the risk over time. When the next vulnerability is found in Python itself, versions 3.11 to 3.14 will get a patch and 3.10 will not. The second effect is slower but just as real: the libraries your application depends on gradually stop testing against, and then stop supporting, a retired Python version. Eventually a security fix you need in a library is only available in a release that requires a newer Python, and the two upgrades have to be done together under pressure.
One nuance: some operating system vendors ship their own Python 3.10 package and may continue to patch it on their own schedule. That is the vendor's commitment, not the Python project's, so ask your hosting provider or developer which Python build your servers actually use and who maintains it.
Which Python versions are still supported?
As of October 6, 2026, four released versions are supported: Python 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 and 3.14. The Python developer guide's version table lists their end-of-life dates as October 2027 for 3.11, October 2028 for 3.12, October 2029 for 3.13 and October 2030 for 3.14.
Only Python 3.14 is in the "bugfix" stage, where it receives general bug fixes and ready-made installers. The others are in the "security" stage.
What changed for Python 3.13?
Python 3.13 also moved down a stage. The October 1 announcement describes 3.13.16 as the last full maintenance release of 3.13 and says future 3.13 releases will contain security fixes only. The developer guide explains what that means in practice: once a version is two years old, only security fixes are accepted and no more binaries are released. Teams that install Python on Windows or macOS from the official installers should note that 3.13 will stop getting new ones.
When is Python 3.15 coming out, and should a business move to it?
Python 3.15.0 is expected on Friday, October 9, 2026, according to the release schedule in PEP 790. It is not available as a final release yet. On October 2, 2026, the release manager published a third release candidate, explaining that late blocking bugs in the new lazy import feature made it sensible to fix them before the final version.
The same post lists what is coming in 3.15. Items a non-programmer may hear about include explicit lazy imports, which let a program load parts of itself only when they are first used; UTF-8 as the default text encoding; and continued work on an experimental just-in-time compiler aimed at speed. The schedule gives 3.15 two years of bug fixes and security updates until approximately October 2031.
For a production system leaving 3.10, we would not make a brand-new 3.15.0 the target. Third-party libraries need weeks or months to publish compatible builds for a new Python version. Python 3.13 or 3.14 gives a long support window with libraries that have already caught up. That is our recommendation, not a statement from the Python project.
Who is affected by the Python 3.10 end of life?
Any organization with code running on Python 3.10 is affected, and many do not know which version they run. Typical places it hides are a web application deployed in 2022 or 2023 and not touched since, scheduled scripts on an office or cloud server, container images built once and reused, and serverless functions pinned to a runtime chosen years ago.
Django projects are a good example of how the pieces connect. Django's installation FAQ shows that Django 5.2 is the last release series that supports Python 3.10, while Django 6.0 and 6.1 require Python 3.12 or newer. The same page says Python versions that have reached end of life should not be used with Django. So a Django 5.2 site on Python 3.10 can upgrade Python first and the framework later, while an older Django 4.2 or 5.0 site faces a framework upgrade as well.
What should a business do now?
Treat this as a planned maintenance task with a date, not an emergency. A sensible sequence is:
- Ask your developer or hosting provider which Python version each application, script and scheduled job runs on, and get the answer in writing.
- For anything on 3.10 or older, confirm it has at least been updated to 3.10.22 so it has the final set of security fixes.
- Pick a target version, normally 3.13 or 3.14, and check that every library the application depends on supports it.
- Upgrade in a test environment, run the automated tests and a manual check of the main user journeys, then release.
- Put the next deadline in the calendar. Python 3.11 reaches end of life in October 2027.
The effort depends mostly on three things: how many libraries the project uses, whether any of them have been abandoned, and how good the automated tests are. A well-tested application with current libraries may need little code change. A project with no tests and several unmaintained packages needs more care. Our guide to software maintenance and support explains how this kind of upgrade fits into a regular maintenance plan.
Quick answers
When did Python 3.10 reach end of life?
Python 3.10 reached end of life on October 1, 2026. Python 3.10.22, released the same day, is the final release and the series will receive no further security updates from the Python project.
Is it safe to keep using Python 3.10?
Software on Python 3.10 keeps running, but security flaws found in Python after October 1, 2026 will not be fixed for that version. The risk grows over time, so plan an upgrade to Python 3.11 or newer.
Which Python version should we upgrade to?
As of October 6, 2026, Python 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 and 3.14 are supported. Python 3.13 and 3.14 have the longest remaining support, until October 2029 and October 2030.
What is the release date of Python 3.15?
Python 3.15.0 is expected on October 9, 2026. It was planned for October 1, 2026, but a third release candidate was published on October 2 to fix late bugs in the new lazy import feature.
Does Django still support Python 3.10?
Django 5.2 is the last Django release series that supports Python 3.10. Django 6.0 and 6.1 require Python 3.12 or newer, and Django's documentation says end-of-life Python versions should not be used.
Conclusion
Python 3.10 is now out of support, Python 3.13 has moved to security fixes only, and Python 3.15 is due on October 9, 2026. Nothing breaks this week, but any system still on 3.10 has started accumulating risk that no patch will remove. Find out which versions you run, choose 3.13 or 3.14 as the target, and schedule the upgrade alongside normal maintenance.
Entrant Technologies builds websites, web applications, mobile apps and custom software. If you are not sure which Python version your systems use or what an upgrade would involve, contact us and we will take a look.