Microsoft to End Support for Windows 10 Next Year

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025, and commercial organizations who wish to stick to Windows 10 will need to pay an annual fee to continue using the operating system securely.

Enrolling in the Extended Security Update (ESU) program will cost $61 for the first year, then “double every consecutive year for a maximum of three years”, the company announced on April 4.

Microsoft emphasized that the pricing outlined in the recent announcement pertains only to commercial and educational organizations. The company says details regarding pricing for individual users will be shared on the consumer end-of-support page at a later date. Educational organizations were directed to the Microsoft Education Blog for tailored information on Windows 10 end-of-support.

With this update, Microsoft is essentially forcing every Windows 10 user to abandon a device that is fully functional and switch to Windows 11. Windows 10 will still function after October 14 but won’t receive essential security updates without enrolment in the ESU paid program.

Extended Security Updates aren’t a permanent solution but are designed as a temporary way to bridge the gap for organizations that need more time to switch to Windows 11. This means that ESU will only be available for Windows 10 for a maximum of 3 years after its end-of-support date.

Businesses utilizing Microsoft’s cloud-based update solutions like Intune or Windows Autopatch will get a 25% discount on ESU licensing, reducing the cost to $45 per user for the first year. Organizations using Windows 10 devices to connect to Windows 11 Cloud PCs through Windows 365 will have security updates included in their subscription at no extra cost.

Educational institutions are eligible for significant discounts under the ESU program, with licenses priced at $1 for the first year, doubling to $2 in the second year and $4 in the third year.

Microsoft has been pushing for its customers to fully transition to Windows 11, and not without controversy, as seen by the many comment threads in its blog posts on the subject. While Microsoft’s ESU program aims to help the transition to Windows 11, the move is essentially just backing organizations into a corner.