Windows 10 End of Life options: still have Windows 10 computers in your business? Microsoft announces more options to push those machines past October 15th.

Windows 10 End of Life

Microsoft declared October 15th, 2025 the end of life for Windows 10. End of life means no more free security updates. Unfortunately for businesses, Microsoft decreed a lot of perfectly good Windows 10 computers not capable of running Windows 11 leaving a lot of businesses stuck with replacement costs.

In the last few months Microsoft changed paid security updates options, Extended Security Updates (ESU), so businesses and individuals now have a way to get paid security updates for their Windows 10 computers.

Extended Security Updates (ESU)

As usual Microsoft made the ESU options confusing. I have seen a lot of misinformation on social media platforms about the Windows 10 ESU.

For individuals, not businesses, you can purchase ESU for a Windows 10 computer for $30USD for one year. There will an enrolment wizard added to Windows Settings. You can also use Microsoft points on your personal Microsoft account towards paying for the ESU.

For businesses the options are different and more expensive. For the first year, the ESU costs $61USD, the second year $122USD, the third year $244USD.

However you must have volume licensing on your Microsoft 365 to get the business version. Details directly from Microsoft on Windows 10 End of Life options here.

Microsoft hasn’t made this option available to small businesses who do not have volume licensing on their M365 accounts.

The big question is will Microsoft allow small business to purchase the individual ESU or force them into expensive, cumbersome volume licensing? The businesses that can afford volume licensing can usually afford to replace Windows 10 computers that can’t be upgraded. Microsoft dings small businesses again.

Extended Security Updates gotchas

Microsoft also recently announced that they will not support M365 past 2026 on Windows 10 computers even with ESU purchase. This means that even if you have paid for the ESU, Microsoft will not fix any problems on M365 products on those computers.

Further other vendors/software won’t support Windows 10 for much longer. For example, Google might update Chrome in a way that it no longer works on Windows 10.

Windows 10 End of Life options

While you might be able to get ESU for your business Windows 10 computers I recommend you fork over as soon as possible for Windows 11 replacements.