Microsoft Outlines Windows 10 ESU Pricing and Free Enrollment Paths
Now that the October 14, 2025, end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 is officially in the rearview mirror, Microsoft has finalized the cost structure and enrollment paths for its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Offering a temporary reprieve for millions of older devices, the initiative outlines exactly what it takes to keep hardware secure while users plot their eventual migration to Windows 11 or newer Copilot+ PCs. Notably, enrolling in this program won't block a machine from upgrading to Windows 11 later on, provided it meets the stricter hardware specifications.
Consumer Fees and Global Free Access Routes
For those sticking with Windows 10 version 22H2 on personal machines, expect to pay a one-time fee of $30 USD. Covering up to 10 devices tied to a single Microsoft account, the consumer program is relatively straightforward and restricts updates exclusively to critical and important security patches.
Bypassing this cost is incredibly simple, however. European users already receive these consumer updates for free. Outside of Europe, anyone can secure the extension at no charge simply by utilizing Windows Backup to sync their PC settings to a OneDrive account. Short on cloud storage? Redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points will also activate the license.
Keep in mind that consumer ESUs carry a hard expiration date of October 13, 2026. While you can opt in at any point before that deadline—with late enrollees automatically catching up on all previously released critical patches—the process hasn't been entirely smooth. Tucked away under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, the "Enroll now" button requires last year's August 2025 patch (KB5063709) to appear. Even with the prerequisite installed, some international users are finding the option missing. Acknowledging these ongoing bugs, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company is "working to restore the availability of the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program in a subset of markets."
Escalating Enterprise Costs and Cloud Exemptions
On the commercial side, things get considerably more expensive. Rather than a flat fee, organizations purchasing through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program start at $61 USD per device for Year One. Because that baseline price doubles every consecutive year—capping out at three years of extended updates—the mounting costs serve as a clear financial nudge toward newer platforms.
Rather than paying out of pocket, enterprise fleets can dodge these fees entirely by shifting to the cloud. Microsoft is waiving all ESU charges for Windows 10 virtual machines hosted on specific infrastructure, including Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Azure virtual machines, Azure Dedicated Host, and Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI). Additionally, the fee exemption covers advanced hybrid environments like Azure VMware Solution and Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure.