Windows 10, despite being a nine-year-old operating system, is still the most popular PC OS with a market share of over 68 per cent as of November 2023. Windows 10 will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025, which means the operating system will no longer receive security updates, at least until you pay for them.
Microsoft has now confirmed that it will offer extended security updates (ESU) to Windows 10 PCs post-end of support for $61 a year per PC, and this price will double every year, where, in the second year, Microsoft will charge $122, and the price of the ESU will go up to $244 by 2027.
Microsoft will offer ESU for Windows 10 PCs for three years, and even if one joins the ESU program in the second year, they have to pay for two years of the license, as these patches are cumulative.
If you are someone who has more than one Windows 10 PC, you can also buy the license for up to five devices, which will come with a flat 25 per cent discount and will bring down the price of the security updates to $45 per device for the first year.
Users can activate the ESU license on Windows 10-powered PCs using cloud-based activation, the traditional 5-by-5 activation key method, or via the Windows 365 subscription. Microsoft also highlights that the ESU updates for Windows 10 will not include any new features or technical support, and these software patches will only include “critical and/or important security updates.”
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Microsoft is also recommending Windows 10 users upgrade to Windows 11 on eligible PCs and states that ESUs are “not intended to be a long-term solution.” It is rather a temporary bridge. Users can purchase an ESU license for Windows 10 PCs starting October 2024, one year before the end of the support date.
Windows 10 was launched back in 2015 (Image credit: Microsoft) 
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