Expensive Windows 7 support: In 2022, Microsoft will charge US$200

Official support for Windows 7, including safety updates, will end on January 14, 2020. Many companies, however, are still using the 10-year-old operating system, and will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10 in the next eleven months. Not only is the conversion of an operating system no easy task, some companies or authorities working with special software have no other choice than Windows 7 due to compatibility issues.

For these companies, however, Microsoft has a solution, though it has associated costs. They are prepared to continue to provide Windows 7 with the program “Extended Security Updates,” through 2023. After all, according to Statcounter, Windows 7 still has a remarkable 35% of the market share. Starting in January 2020, Microsoft will charge US$50 per PC for this extended support, and that will double to US$100 in the following year. From 2022 to 2023 the price will once again be doubled, to US$200 per computer.

Major customers with dozens of PCs will most likely receive a discount, but that will not work if any years are skipped. Whoever wants security updates in 2022 will have to pay for the years before as well.