Microsoft To End Support For Windows 10 By 2025's November, Users Will Have To Pay This Much For Using It
Microsoft reserves Extended Security Updates subscriptions for organisations needing to maintain older Windows versions.
Microsoft has announced the discontinuation of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Despite this, the company will provide an option for customers to securely use the older operating system by subscribing to Extended Security Updates (ESU) on an annual basis.
Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU): Price, Availability & More
Users wishing to continue using Windows 10 beyond October 2025 will be required to subscribe to Extended Security Updates (ESU) for an annual fee of $61, roughly equivalent to Rs 5,000. This marks the first time Microsoft is introducing a paid option for additional security updates for Windows 10 users. Businesses and individual customers alike will need to acquire ESU licenses for each Windows 10 device they intend to keep using after the support cut-off date. The subscription cost starts at $61 for the initial year, doubles to $122 for the second year, and then increases to $244 in the third year. Notably, users who join the ESU program in the second year will need to pay for the first year as well, as the ESUs are cumulative.
Typically, Microsoft reserves Extended Security Updates subscriptions for organisations needing to maintain older Windows versions. However, given the substantial number of users still relying on Windows 10 nearly nine years after its launch in 2015, this offering extends to individual customers as well.
Moreover, Microsoft is extending a 25% discount to businesses utilising a cloud-based update solution such as Intune or Windows Autopatch, bringing the price down to $45 per user (for up to five devices) in the first year.
For users accessing Windows 11 Cloud PCs through Windows 365 using Windows 10 laptops and PCs, Microsoft will waive security update fees, as these licenses are encompassed within the Windows 365 subscription cost.
Schools are eligible for a significant discount, with a $1 license fee for the first year, followed by increases to $2 in the second year and $4 in the third year. However, there is no indication of special discount pricing for individual consumers at this time, although Microsoft may unveil such offerings closer to the license sale commencement.
Microsoft in a blog post said, “Extended Security Updates are not intended to be a long-term solution but rather a temporary bridge. 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.”
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