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Microsoft Reveals Pricing for Windows 10 Extended Security Updates
Microsoft this week announced that those looking for extended support for Windows 10 after its end of life date of Oct. 14, 2025 will pay $61 per device for the first year, for some enterprise customers.
Microsoft in December announced that the aging OS would receive up to three years of paid support for security updates. While Microsoft had provided the same extended support for previous OSes in the past, it had only been available to enterprise licenses. This time, Microsoft is extending the support to consumer versions of Windows 10 to provide more time for customers not ready or, due to hardware requirements, not able to make the jump to Windows 11.
"Extended Security Updates are not intended to be a long-term solution but rather a temporary bridge," wrote Microsoft in a blog post announcing the price. "ESUs do not include new features, non-security fixes, or design change requests. The ESU program does not extend technical support for Windows 10. Technical support is limited to the activation of the ESU licenses, installation of ESU monthly updates, and addressing issues that may have been caused due to an update itself."
Microsoft broke down the three options organizations have to receive the extended support and varied price structures, once it's available next year:
- The announced $61 per device will be for the traditional activation of extended support through an activation key. Microsoft said IT can manage these devices through Configuration Manager or Windows Server Update Services.
- Windows 10 devices can access Windows 11 through Windows 365 with no additional cost.
- Those organizations using Microsoft Intune or Windows Autopatch can purchase the extended support with an "ESU cloud activation license" at a discounted $45 per device.
It's important to note that this week's announced price only applies to commercial organizations. An announcement for individual consumer pricing will be made at a later date.