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Microsoft CSPs To Start Selling Windows 10 ESU this Fall

Organizations that want to extend the life of their Windows 10 PCs can begin buying extension plans from Microsoft's Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners on Sept. 1.

Microsoft announced the CSP availability date of the commercial Windows 10 Extended Support Program (ESU) this week. Volume licensing customers can start enrolling for ESU now.

Windows 10 22H2 will reach its end-of-life date on Oct. 14, 2025. After that date, the OS will be "unsupported," meaning it will no longer receive support, security or feature updates from Microsoft. Notwithstanding its still-robust market share (over 53 percent as of May, according to Statcounter), devices that continue to run Windows 10 22H2 after its end-of-life date present significant security and compliance hazards.

Though Microsoft is urging its customers to upgrade to the more AI-capable Windows 11, it is offering ESU as a temporary -- and expensive -- lifeline to customers that are unable to do so. Under the ESU, organizations can continue to receive "critical" and "important" Windows 10 security patches for a maximum of three years, at a cost of $61 per device for the first year. Microsoft raises this price with each annual renewal, however, and it does not include non-security updates, feature additions or technical support.

As Microsoft announced in 2023, individual consumers will also be able to enroll in ESU for the first time with Windows 10. Personal ESU enrollments are only good for one year, however, spanning Oct 15, 2025 through Oct. 13, 2026, and cost $30 (or 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points). Consumer ESU enrollments will begin in July, with broad availability expected in August.

There are some caveats to the Windows 10 ESU offer, mostly benefiting cloud users:

  • "Windows 10 devices accessing Windows 11 Cloud PCs through Windows 365 or Virtual Machines are entitled to ESU at no additional cost and will automatically receive security updates with no extra steps required."
  • "Microsoft 365 Apps running on personal and commercial Windows 10 PCs will continue receiving security updates until Oct. 10, 2028, and feature updates through August 2026."
  • "Microsoft will continue to provide Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 through October 2028."

About the Author

Gladys Rama (@GladysRama3) is the editorial director of Converge360.

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