Microsoft has announced that businesses and educational institutions will have to pay extra dollars to receive security updates after Windows 10’s support ends on October 14, 2025, at $61 and $1 per year, respectively.
The EOS for Windows 10 signifies that Microsoft will discontinue providing bug fixes, security updates, time zone adjustments, and technical support past the specific date.
Thus, educational and business institutions are advised to strategize and execute their migration plans to Windows 11 promptly to avoid potential operational disruptions and vulnerabilities.
“As noted on the Windows 10 release information page, version 22H2 is the final version of Windows 10. All editions of Windows 10, version 22H2, will remain supported with monthly security updates through October 14, 2025,” the company said.
To manage the transition, Microsoft Education is extending support by extending the education pricing for the Windows 10 Extended Security Update (ESU) program. The devices enrolled in ESU will receive security updates but no feature updates. A security update is the monthly vulnerability patch released by Microsoft, while a feature update is an annual update showcasing new features and functionalities.
ESU licenses for commercial organisations start at $61 for the first year and double in subsequent years. The price jumps to $122 in the second year and doubles to $244 in the third year.
As per Microsoft’s tech team: “ESUs allow you to receive critical and/or important security updates for Windows 10 PCs when you need extra time to move to Windows 11. Extended Security Updates are not intended to be a long-term solution but rather a temporary bridge.”
Businesses are encouraged to consider ESU as a temporary measure for devices not immediately transitioning to Windows 11.
However, entities leveraging Microsoft’s cloud-based update solutions can avail a 25% discount on ESU licenses, reducing the cost to $45 per user for up to five Windows devices for the initial year.
Also, Microsoft Education customers can take advantage of the ESU program’s special pricing, commencing at $1 per license for the initial year and incrementally increasing to $4 by the third year.
Institutions have multiple pathways to transition to Windows 11, including upgrading eligible PCs, procuring modern Windows 11 Pro devices, or transitioning to Windows 11 via a cloud PC using Windows 365.
Moreover, ESU subscribers can purchase yearly subscriptions to security updates. Finally, ESU subscribers who are also Windows 365 customers will receive ESU free of cost. The same goes for devices that run Windows 10 in an Azure Virtual Desktop.
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