Recently, Microsoft (MSFT) made an announcement stating that they will stop supporting Windows 10 after October 14, 2025. This means that users who want to keep using the system securely will have to pay a yearly fee.

To assist users in this transition, Microsoft will offer Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10, starting at $61 for the first year. However, the cost of ESU will rise over time, doubling to $122 in the second year and then doubling again to $244 in the third year.

Any organizations joining the ESU program at a later date will need to pay for the previous periods they missed. Businesses have three paid options to extend support: the traditional 5-by-5 activation key method, activation through a cloud-based method, or activation included with a Windows 365 subscription. Microsoft is giving a 25% discount to organizations using a Microsoft cloud-based update management solution, lowering the cost of ESU to $45 per user for up to five devices in the first year.

It is essential to remember that these options are only available for Commercial Organizations and EDU customers, with details for regular users to be provided later. Microsoft recommends users to transition to Windows 11 or Windows 365 and notes the benefits of buying new PCs in most cases. The goal of ESUs is to ease the shift to the new operating system.

For regular users, a paid extended security update program will be introduced closer to Windows 10's end-of-support date in October 2025. The final prices and enrollment conditions will be shared as the support deadline approaches.