Microsoft reveals how much you have to pay to keep using Windows 10 safely

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 safely. Microsoft offers Extended Security Updates (ESU) to Windows 10 users starting at $61 for the first year.

With Windows 10, customers are charged extra for security updates for the first time. Businesses and consumers must purchase ESUs for each Windows 10 device they want to continue using after support ends next year. The price for the first year is $61. It doubles to $122 in the second year and $244 in the third year. If you are enrolled in the ESU program in the second year, you must pay for the first year because ESUs are cumulative.

Microsoft typically only offers Extended Security Update subscriptions to organizations that need to keep older versions of Windows running. This time is different because Windows 10 is still used by a large number of users almost nine years after its release in 2015.

“Increased security updates are not intended as a long-term solution, but rather as a temporary stopgap,” explains Microsoft. in a blog post. “You will be able to purchase ESU licenses for Windows 10 devices that you do not plan to upgrade to Windows 11 starting in October 2024, one year before support ends.”

Microsoft is offering a 25 percent discount to companies that use Microsoft’s cloud-based update solutions such as Intune or Windows Autopatch. This brings the price down to $45 per user (up to five devices) in the first year. If you use Windows 10 laptops and PCs to connect to Windows 11 cloud PCs through Windows 365, Microsoft will waive the security update fee because the licenses are included in the cost of your Windows 365 subscription.

Schools get a big discount Microsoft offers A license for $1 for the first year, which doubles to $2 for the second year and $4 for the third year. It doesn’t look like Microsoft will be offering any special discounts for consumers, but we still have a few months until these licenses go on sale, so the company… can It still offers something to consumers.

Of course, Microsoft wants customers to switch to Windows 11 instead. Millions of computers are unable to officially upgrade to Windows 11 due to strict hardware requirements and the security measures Microsoft is taking with its latest operating system. Windows 11 is only supported on 2018 and later CPUs and devices that support TPM security chips

This pushed Windows 11 back from the launch of Windows 10, which was offered as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. Windows 11 was also a free upgrade, but only for Windows 10 devices that met strict minimum hardware requirements.

Statcounter Md Windows 10 is still used by 69 percent of all Windows users, a big gap compared to just 27 percent for Windows 11, which Microsoft is unlikely to take off for the next 18 months, which has many Windows 10 users wondering. .Pay for security updates first.