We keep hearing about paid Windows 10 security updates and an October 2026 deadline. How does that actually work?

When Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, Microsoft did not cut everyone off cold. Businesses can buy into the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which keeps delivering critical security patches by annual subscription. Knowing how it is priced tells you most of what you need to know about how Microsoft intends it to be used.

The mechanics, straight from Microsoft: Year One costs $61 per device. The price doubles every consecutive year, so roughly $122 for Year Two and $244 for Year Three. The years are cumulative, meaning if you skip Year One and join in Year Two, you pay for both. Three years is the hard ceiling: after October 2028 there is no more runway to buy at any price. And ESU covers security patches only. No new features, no fixes for ordinary bugs, no technical support.

Two dates matter for planning. October 2026 is when Year One ends and the price doubles for businesses staying on. It is also when the consumer ESU program for Windows 10 Home ends entirely, so any office machine running the Home edition gets its last security patch this fall, full stop. October 2028 is the absolute end of the line for everyone.

Now the math. Keeping one machine on ESU for all three years costs about $427 in fees, and at the end you still own a computer that is three years older, no faster, and finally out of options. That same money put toward a business-class Windows 11 machine buys speed, warranty, and years of supported life. That is why we treat ESU as a bridge, not a strategy: enroll the specific machines that genuinely cannot move yet, like a PC tied to specialized equipment, give each one a retirement date, and plan phased replacements for the rest.

If you are not sure which of your machines can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, which need replacing, and which are worth bridging on ESU, that sorting exercise takes an afternoon and turns an anxious deadline into a calm schedule. It is exactly the kind of planning a good IT provider should be doing with you unprompted.