Microsoft reveals how much you'll have to pay to continue using Windows 10 securely

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, and you'll need to pay annually if you want to continue using the operating system securely. Microsoft will offer Extended Security Updates (ESU) to Windows 10 users, starting at $61 for the first year.

Additional security update pricing will be offered to consumers for the first time ever with Windows 10. Businesses and consumers will need to purchase ESU licenses for each Windows 10 device they plan to continue using beyond the out-of-support date next year. The price for the first year is $61. It then doubles to $122 for the second year and then doubles again in the third year to $244. If you enroll in the ESU program in the second year, you will have to pay for the first year as well since the ESUs are cumulative.

Microsoft typically offers subscriptions for Extended Security Updates only to organizations that need to continue running older versions of Windows. It's different this time, as there are still a large number of people using Windows 10, nearly nine years since its release in 2015.

“Extended security updates are not intended to be a long-term solution, but rather a temporary bridge,” Microsoft explains. In a blog post. “You can purchase ESU licenses for Windows 10 devices that you don't plan to upgrade to Windows 11 starting in October 2024, one year before the end of support date.”

Microsoft is offering a 25 percent discount to businesses that use Microsoft's cloud-based update solution like Intune or Windows Autopatch. This brings the price down to $45 per user (up to five devices) for the first year. If you use Windows 10 laptops and PCs to connect to Windows 11 cloud PCs through Windows 365, Microsoft is waiving fees for security updates because licenses are included in the cost of your Windows 365 subscription.

Schools will get a bigger discount Microsoft Offers A $1 license for the first year, which then doubles to $2 for the second year and $4 for the third year. It doesn't look like Microsoft will be offering any special discounted prices to consumers, but we still have months to go before these licenses go on sale, so the company… could It still offers something to consumers.

Naturally, Microsoft wants consumers to move to Windows 11 instead. Millions of computers can't officially upgrade to Windows 11 due to stricter hardware requirements and the security push Microsoft is making with its latest operating system. Windows 11 is only supported on CPUs released from 2018 onwards and with devices that support TPM security chips.

As a result, Windows 11 lagged behind the launch of Windows 10, which was offered to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users as a free upgrade. Windows 11 was also a free upgrade, but only for Windows 10 devices that met strict minimum hardware requirements.

Statcounter says Windows 10 is still used by 69 percent of all Windows users, compared to just 27 percent for Windows 11. This is a large gap that Microsoft is unlikely to close over the next 18 months, leaving many Windows 10 users forced to consider… Pay for security updates first.