Microsoft needs $30 to allow you to hold utilizing Home windows 10 securely for an additional yr

Microsoft is lastly revealing that it’s going to cost shoppers $30 for a yr of additional safety updates to Home windows 10. Assist for Home windows 10 will finish on October 14th, 2025, however shoppers will have the ability to buy a single yr of Prolonged Safety Updates (ESU) for $30 for the primary time ever.

Whereas companies can be charged $61 for a single yr of ESU, in addition they have the choice to pay $122 for a second yr after which $244 for a 3rd yr of updates. Microsoft will solely provide shoppers a single yr in the event that they’re keen to pay the $30 charge. “Enrolled PCs will proceed to obtain Essential and Vital safety updates for Home windows 10; nevertheless, new options, bug fixes, and technical assist will not be obtainable from Microsoft,” explains Yusuf Mehdi, govt vice chairman and shopper chief advertising officer at Microsoft.

Shoppers will have the ability to enroll within the ESU program “nearer to the top of assist in 2025.” Naturally, Microsoft is as soon as once more encouraging shoppers to improve to Home windows 11 as an alternative of buying prolonged safety updates for Home windows 10. “With the Home windows 10 Finish of Assist second, now’s the time to maneuver to Home windows 11 with confidence,” says Mehdi.

That transfer to Home windows 11 could contain shopping for a brand new PC. Tens of millions of PCs can’t improve formally to Home windows 11 as a result of extra strict {hardware} necessities and Microsoft’s safety push with its newest OS. Home windows 11 is just supported on CPUs launched from 2018 onward and with units that assist TPM safety chips.

Home windows 11 adoption has been lagging behind Home windows 10 lately, however there are indicators individuals are beginning to improve extra or refresh their {hardware}. Home windows 11 briefly turned the preferred OS for PC gaming amongst Steam customers in August, earlier than dropping again behind Home windows 10 in September. It’s doubtless that Home windows 10 utilization will proceed to stay robust all through 2025 and past.

After initially saying it was executed with main Home windows 10 updates in 2023, Microsoft switched up its method earlier this yr in a complicated transfer that would assist Home windows 10 utilization stay robust. The software program big took the weird step of reopening its beta program for Home windows 10 customers in June to check new options and enhancements to an OS that it’s presupposed to be ending assist for subsequent yr.