Microsoft introduced on Tuesday extra choices for Home windows 10 customers to enroll within the Prolonged Safety Updates (ESU) program after the working system reaches finish of assist, together with some choices that won’t price customers any cash.
Home windows 10 is about to achieve finish of assist (EOS) on October 14, 2025, and after this date Microsoft will not present free software program updates, technical assist, or safety fixes.
As with earlier variations of the favored working system, Home windows 10 customers who usually are not in a position or don’t wish to instantly replace to Home windows 11 can join Microsoft’s ESU program and proceed to obtain essential safety updates.
The tech big beforehand introduced that customers will pay for Home windows 10 Prolonged Safety Updates to get patches for an additional 12 months, however this week it revealed extra enrollment choices, together with free options for particular person customers.
Particularly, shoppers will pay roughly $30 per PC (relying on location) to enroll within the ESU program and obtain safety updates for one 12 months after Home windows 10 reaches EOS.
In the event that they don’t wish to spend cash, they will merely begin utilizing Home windows Backup to sync their settings to the cloud. It’s value noting that Microsoft recommends Home windows Backup for backing up information and settings earlier than switching to Home windows 11.
One other ESU choice that doesn’t contain spending precise cash is to enroll for 1,000 Microsoft Rewards factors, which customers earn for participating with Microsoft services and products, akin to Bing, Xbox and Microsoft Retailer.
“ESU protection for private units runs from Oct. 15, 2025, by way of Oct. 13, 2026,” Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi defined. “Beginning in the present day, the enrollment wizard is on the market within the Home windows Insider Program and can start rolling out as an choice to Home windows 10 clients in July, with broad availability anticipated by mid-August.”Commercial. Scroll to proceed studying.
As for industrial organizations, they will subscribe to ESU for $61 per machine for one 12 months, they usually can renew the subscription yearly for as much as three years, however the price will increase yearly.
Within the case of cloud and digital environments, Microsoft stated Home windows 10 units accessing Home windows 11 Cloud PCs by way of Home windows 365 or VMs can get ESU at no further price.
“ESU delivers month-to-month vital and essential safety updates that will help you keep safe through the transition. Nonetheless, it’s not meant to be a long-term answer—it doesn’t embody new options, non-security updates, design change requests or technical assist,” Mehdi cautioned.
Based on knowledge from Statcounter, Home windows 10 continues to be probably the most extensively used model of Microsoft’s working system, with a market share of 53%, adopted by Home windows 11 at 43%.
Associated: Microsoft Patch Tuesday Covers WebDAV Flaw Marked as ‘Already Exploited’
Associated: Second Ransomware Group Caught Exploiting Home windows Flaw as Zero-Day
Associated: Siemens Notifies Clients of Microsoft Defender Antivirus Subject
