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Microsoft’s $61 Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) price is the commercial Year One rate per device, not the standard price for a home PC. Microsoft lists a separate one-time U.S. consumer offer at $30. Windows 10’s normal support ended on October 14, 2025, so ESU is a temporary security-update bridge—not a return to full support.
What the $61 Windows 10 ESU price covers
The $61 price applies to organizations buying commercial ESU through Microsoft Volume Licensing. It is charged per device for Year One. Microsoft’s stated pricing rule doubles the price in each consecutive year, and organizations cannot buy only a partial period. If an organization first buys in Year Two, it must also pay for Year One. Microsoft’s Windows 10 ESU program details set out the commercial pricing and purchase rules.
| Commercial ESU period | Price per device | Cumulative cost per device |
|---|---|---|
| Year One | $61 | $61 |
| Year Two | $122 | $183 |
| Year Three | $244 | $427 |
The three-year total is calculated from Microsoft’s annual rates and excludes taxes, reseller margins, and other licensing costs. For 100 devices, the ESU license component would be $6,100 for Year One, $12,200 for Year Two, and $24,400 for Year Three—a cumulative $42,700 if all three years are purchased.
Consumer ESU has a separate price and end date
Microsoft lists a one-time $30 U.S. consumer price. Local pricing and taxes can differ, and availability depends on the device and enrollment offer. The $30 offer is not the commercial per-device licensing program. Microsoft’s current support page lists consumer ESU coverage through October 12, 2027; earlier Microsoft announcements described a shorter period, so check the terms shown for your device when enrolling. See Microsoft’s consumer ESU page and its Windows 10 support status.
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Which consumer PCs are listed as eligible?
Microsoft lists Windows 10 version 22H2 in Home, Professional, Pro Education, and Workstations editions. Other activation, account, and enrollment requirements can apply. The $30 figure should not be assumed to apply in every country or to every device.
How to look for the consumer enrollment offer
- Open Settings.
- Go to Update & Security, then Windows Update.
- Look for the ESU enrollment option or Enroll now, and follow the method offered for the device.
If no option appears, check that the PC is activated, running an eligible edition of Windows 10 version 22H2, and up to date. The available prompt can also depend on account, region, and rollout status; Microsoft’s consumer ESU page describes the offer.
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What ESU does—and does not—provide
Windows 10 ESU supplies eligible critical and important security updates after normal support ends. Updates are provided if and when available under the program’s criteria; ESU does not guarantee that every security issue will receive an update.
- Included: eligible critical and important security updates.
- Not included: new features, feature updates, ordinary nonsecurity fixes, design changes, or general technical support.
Microsoft describes ESU as a temporary bridge rather than an extension of the full Windows support lifecycle. Its Extended Security Updates FAQ explains the program’s limits.
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Commercial eligibility and activation requirements
Businesses generally obtain commercial ESU through Microsoft Volume Licensing, an eligible licensing program, or an authorized licensing partner. The $61 rate is not a consumer Windows Update checkout price. Microsoft’s Windows Desktop Operating System Product Terms provide licensing context.
Microsoft’s current commercial deployment instructions list these prerequisites:
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- Wireless Wifi & Bluetooth
- Windows 10 version 22H2.
- Cumulative update KB5066791 or later.
- ESU Licensing Preparation Package KB5072653.
- Administrative privileges.
These package requirements can change as updates are superseded; administrators should use Microsoft’s current ESU deployment instructions when preparing devices. Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC releases follow separate lifecycle rules and should not be assumed to use this standard client ESU program.
Cloud-hosted Windows 10 can have different ESU licensing
Microsoft says qualifying Windows 10 virtual machines in services including Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Azure virtual machines, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure, Azure Local, Azure Stack Hub, and Azure Stack Edge can receive ESU without an additional ESU license charge. That does not make the hosting service free: cloud compute, storage, and other service charges still apply. Eligibility and implementation differ by service; consult Microsoft’s ESU program details, Windows 365 deployment scenarios, and Azure Virtual Desktop deployment scenarios.
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When a physical PC connects to Windows 365
A local Windows 10 endpoint may qualify for commercial ESU through an eligible Windows 365 Cloud PC scenario, but it is subject to specific identity and sign-in conditions. In Microsoft’s documented scenario, the endpoint may need to be Microsoft Entra joined or hybrid joined, and the user must sign in with the relevant Entra identity at least once every 22 days. A device that is only Entra registered or joined only to on-premises Active Directory may not qualify. This is an enterprise entitlement, not a general consumer workaround; see Microsoft’s cloud and virtual machine ESU guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does Windows 10 stop working without ESU?
No. A Windows 10 PC can continue to run after October 14, 2025, but affected releases no longer receive Microsoft’s ordinary security and quality updates unless covered by ESU or another applicable support arrangement. Third-party software vendors set their own support schedules, so Windows 10’s end of support does not by itself establish when every app will stop working. Microsoft recommends moving eligible systems to Windows 11 or another supported environment.
Should you pay for ESU or move on?
| Your situation | Practical next step |
|---|---|
| Personal PC eligible for Windows 11 | Compare upgrading with paying for a temporary consumer extension; upgrading avoids relying on the Windows 10 bridge. |
| Personal PC that cannot migrate immediately | Check consumer ESU eligibility, local price, and the enrollment terms shown on the device; plan a later upgrade or replacement. |
| Business device blocked by an application or deployment constraint | Use commercial ESU as a time-limited bridge, with a dated migration plan and a budget for the cumulative annual cost. |
| Existing qualifying Azure or Windows 365 deployment | Check whether the workload already receives ESU entitlement; compare the full cloud-service cost, not just the ESU license. |
| Unreliable or Windows 11-ineligible hardware | Evaluate replacement rather than spending multiple years extending a device that is already due for retirement. |
ESU is most useful when compatibility, specialized equipment, or a controlled rollout makes an immediate move impractical, and the cost of rushed migration or downtime would be higher. It is a weaker long-term choice when Windows 11 is available, the hardware is unreliable, an application vendor has ended Windows 10 support, or a business has no funded exit plan. For larger deployments, endpoint-management tools such as Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopatch can support migration work, but they do not replace ESU.
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