When Does Python 3.13 Reach End of Life? Dates to Plan For
Released October 2024, now security-only, ending 2029. What that means for your projects.
Aditya Challa3 min read
Summary
When does Python 3.13 reach end of life? It is scheduled for October 2029, according to the Python Developer's Guide status page. Python 3.13 was first released on 7 October 2024 and is already in its security phase, so it only gets source-only security fixes and no new Windows or macOS installers.
What are the phases of a Python release?
- Bugfix: about two years of regular bug and security fixes, with binary installers roughly every two months
- Security: source-only security releases as needed
- End of life: five years after first release, no further changes
Python 3.13 is the first version with a two-year bugfix phase. Versions before 3.13 had 18 months.
When do nearby Python versions reach end of life?
| Version | First release | End of life |
|---|---|---|
| 3.11 | 2022-10-24 | 2027-10 |
| 3.12 | 2023-10-02 | 2028-10 |
| 3.13 | 2024-10-07 | 2029-10 |
| 3.14 | 2025-10-07 | 2030-10 |
| 3.15 | 2026-10-09 | 2031-10 |
Future dates are scheduled and can be adjusted by the release manager. Python 3.10 reached end of life on 1 October 2026.
Is Python 3.13 still safe to use in 2026?
Yes, as long as you keep patching. Security fixes continue until October 2029. The catch is that new 3.13 releases ship as source only, so on Windows and macOS you rely on your package manager, OS vendor or container image for builds.
What should you do if you run Python 3.13?
- Keep patching to the latest 3.13.x security release
- Test your project on 3.14 or 3.15 in CI before your next major dependency upgrade
- Check that your operating system or container base image still ships security updates for its Python
- Put October 2029 in your planning calendar as the hard stop
FAQ
Is Python 3.13 end of life? No. It is in the security phase until October 2029.
When did Python 3.13 stop getting bug fixes? The devguide lists it in the security phase as of October 2026, after its two-year bugfix window from October 2024.
Which Python version should I use for new projects? The devguide lists 3.15 and 3.14 in the bugfix phase, so either gives the longest support window.
Related
- When Python 3.12 reaches end of life
- Is Python 3.14 free-threaded by default?
- When Python 3.11 reaches end of life
Sources
Lab evidence
What I found running this
Facts in this draft were checked on 12 Oct 2026 against the primary sources listed in the body (official docs, release schedules or Google/YouTube help pages). No benchmarks or timings were run, so the post makes no performance or measurement claims; dates are quoted as published by the maintainers, and any estimate is labelled as such.
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