Microsoft will charge $30 to allow you to continue using Windows 10 safely for another year.
Microsoft is actively promoting the transition of users to Windows 11.
Microsoft has announced that it will offer consumers an additional year of security updates for Windows 10 at a cost of $30. Support for this version of the operating system will end on October 14, 2025. For the first time, users will be able to purchase the Extended Security Updates (ESU) option, although unlike businesses that will need to pay $61 per year, consumers will only have access to one year of updates with the payment of this fee.
Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Microsoft, clarified that PCs enrolled in the program will continue to receive critical and important security updates for Windows 10, although they will not receive new features, bug fixes, or official technical support. Users will be able to register for the ESU program “closer to the end of support in 2025.”
Additionally, Microsoft is promoting the upgrade to Windows 11 as an alternative to paying for extended updates for Windows 10. Mehdi mentioned that "with the end of support for Windows 10, this is the right time to transition to Windows 11 with confidence." However, this change may require purchasing a new computer, as many devices do not meet the stricter hardware requirements of the new operating system.
Windows 11, which is only compatible with CPUs released from 2018 onwards and devices that support TPM security chips, has had slower adoption than its predecessor. Nevertheless, there are signs that users are beginning to upgrade or renew their hardware. In fact, Windows 11 briefly reached the status of the most popular operating system among Steam gamers in August, although it returned to second place behind Windows 10 in September. The use of Windows 10 is likely to remain strong throughout 2025 and beyond.
Interestingly, after announcing it would stop providing major updates for Windows 10 in 2023, Microsoft changed its strategy earlier this year, reopening its beta program for Windows 10 users in June to test new features and improvements in an operating system whose support it intends to conclude next year.
