By Tom Warren , a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft is

Microsoft wants $30 to let you keep using Windows 10 securely for another year

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2024-10-31 19:30:05

By Tom Warren , a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.

Microsoft is finally revealing that it will charge consumers $30 for a year of extra security updates to Windows 10. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14th, 2025, but consumers will be able to purchase a single year of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for $30 for the first time ever.

While businesses will be charged $61 for a single year of ESU, they also have the option to pay $122 for a second year and then $244 for a third year of updates. Microsoft will only offer consumers a single year if they’re willing to pay the $30 fee. “Enrolled PCs will continue to receive Critical and Important security updates for Windows 10; however, new features, bug fixes, and technical support will no longer be available from Microsoft,” explains Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft.

Consumers will be able to enroll in the ESU program “closer to the end of support in 2025.” Naturally, Microsoft is once again encouraging consumers to upgrade to Windows 11 instead of purchasing extended security updates for Windows 10. “With the Windows 10 End of Support moment, now is the time to move to Windows 11 with confidence,” says Mehdi.