Microsoft will charge $30 for an extra year of security updates on Windows 10

Microsoft says it will charge users $30 (€27.59 or £23.26) to receive security updates for Windows 10 if they plan to keep using the operating system beyond its end-of-support date on Oct. 10, 2025.  

Check out deals on Windows 11 on Amazon

In a blog post (via The Verge) penned by Microsoft's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Yusuf Mehdi, the company outlined a new ESU (Extended Security Updates) program which will offer one extra year of security updates for consumers and up to three years for businesses and educational institutions. 

For businesses, the base price for one year is $61 (€56.11 or £47.29), which will double year for a maximum of three years. It means $122 (€112.21 or £94.58) for year two and $244 (€224.42 or £189.16) in year three. If you opt-in to the program in year two, you will still need to pay for year one since ESU charges will be cumulative. Check out our previous article on business plans for a comprehensive write-up of options.   

For Education customers, Microsoft will charge $1 (€0.92 or £0.78) for one year, $2 (€1.84 or £1.55) for the second year and $4 (€3.68 or £3.10) for the third. According to StatCounter, in September 2024, Windows 11 still trailed Windows 10 in market share, with the latter still holding a sizeable 60.97% install base.