Microsoft will soon let consumers buy one extra year of security updates for Windows 10 at $30. Support for Windows 10 officially ends on October 14, 2025, but this Extended Security Update (ESU) program allows users to pay for an additional year of protection.
The ESU pricing is higher for businesses: $61 for the first year, $122 for the second, and $244 for the third. However, consumers can only buy for $30 for one year. “Enrolled PCs will get important security updates but won’t receive new features, bug fixes, or technical support,” says Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer marketing chief.
Consumers can join the ESU program closer to the end of Windows 10’s support in 2025, though Microsoft encourages users to upgrade to Windows 11. “With Windows 10 support ending, now is a great time to switch to Windows 11,” adds Mehdi. However, this may require a new PC, as Windows 11 only supports newer hardware with specific security features.
While Windows 11 adoption has been slow, more people are starting to upgrade. Windows 11 even briefly became the most popular OS among Steam gamers in August, though it fell behind Windows 10 in September. Despite Microsoft’s push, Windows 10 is expected to stay popular for a while.
Interestingly, after saying there would be no more updates for Windows 10 in 2023, Microsoft reopened its beta program in June to test new features. This change might keep Windows 10 usage steady, even as support winds down.
