Microsoft Announces Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nFor the first time, Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates (ESU) to home users. The ESU program for Windows 10 allows Windows 10 users to purchase extended security updates for Windows 10 devices beyond the end of mainstream support (October 14, 2025). <\/span><\/p>\nThese updates are crucial for maintaining system security and protecting against malware, viruses, and other online threats. Using Windows 10 beyond October 14, 2025, without Extended Security Updates exposes users to significant potential vulnerabilities.<\/span><\/p>\nHow much do ESU licenses Cost?<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nMicrosoft has a tiered pricing structure with annual price increases:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \n
Standard ESU License:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Year 1: $61 per device<\/span><\/li>\n
- Year 2: $122 per device (doubles from Year 1)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Year 3: $244 per device (doubles from Year 2)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Who Should Consider ESU Licenses?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe ESU program is primarily designed for organizations and individuals using Windows 10 computers that cannot be readily upgraded to Windows 11 by October 14, 2025. This may include businesses with specialized software requiring Windows 10 compatibility or organizations with a lengthy hardware refresh cycle. <\/span><\/p>\nAnd let’s be honest. It’s also for individuals who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 because their current hardware does not support Windows 11 or for those who do not want to or cannot afford to buy a new computer<\/span><\/p>\nAlternatives to ESU Licenses:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nUnless you want to switch to another operating system like Linux or buy a Chromebook or an Apple computer, your other alternative is upgrading to Windows 11 if your current computer meets<\/span> the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 or buying a new computer. This is certainly the least costly alternative since upgrading to Windows 11 is free. The downside is that many Windows 10 computers are not upgradeable to Windows 11 as they don’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11.
\n<\/span><\/p>\nBuying a new Windows 11 computer may be a more cost-effective solution in the long run. Windows 11 offers continued security updates and Windows 11 is certainly more like Windows 10 than Linux or Chromebooks. And a new Windows 11 computer is certainly more like Windows 10 and far less costly than an Apple computer.
\n<\/span><\/p>\nThe Bottom Line<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe ESU program provides a way to extend security updates for Windows 10 devices beyond October 14. 2025. However, the increasing yearly cost requires careful consideration.\u00a0 It may be frugal to pay $61 for the first year but every year after that, the cost doubles. <\/span><\/p>\nWhen you consider you can buy a decent Windows 11 laptop or desktop for less than $350, paying $122 for year #2 and $244 may not make much sense for most people as those dollars would be better spent on buying a new computer.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n ![\"Help](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2024\/springdrive24.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOur Spring Donation Drive is Underway!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Make a small donation and help us to keep on helping you!<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nOur annual spring donation drive is underway. Sales of our products and services help keep the lights on at Cloudeight.\u00a0 But if you don\u2019t need any of our products or services right now, please help us with a <\/span>donation. Even the smallest gift is appreciated. Every donation helps us to provide useful information that helps you with your computer as well as helps to keep you safe on the Internet. We offer free help to thousands of people every year\u2026 and we offer an honest and inexpensive computer repair service too. We do everything we can to help you with your computer and to help you stay safe too.<\/span><\/p>\nSo, if you don\u2019t need any of our products or services right now, please consider helping us with a small donation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAre you interested in making a monthly gift? Visit this page<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Please help us keep helping you!<\/span><\/p>\nThank you so much for your support!\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You Can Keep Using Windows 10, but It’s Going to Cost You Microsoft Announces Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) For the first time, Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates (ESU) to home users. The ESU program for Windows 10 allows Windows 10 users to purchase extended security updates for Windows 10 devices beyond the end\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4353,3948,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28180"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28187,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180\/revisions\/28187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
These updates are crucial for maintaining system security and protecting against malware, viruses, and other online threats. Using Windows 10 beyond October 14, 2025, without Extended Security Updates exposes users to significant potential vulnerabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n How much do ESU licenses Cost?<\/span> Microsoft has a tiered pricing structure with annual price increases:<\/span><\/p>\n Standard ESU License:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Who Should Consider ESU Licenses?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The ESU program is primarily designed for organizations and individuals using Windows 10 computers that cannot be readily upgraded to Windows 11 by October 14, 2025. This may include businesses with specialized software requiring Windows 10 compatibility or organizations with a lengthy hardware refresh cycle. <\/span><\/p>\n And let’s be honest. It’s also for individuals who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 because their current hardware does not support Windows 11 or for those who do not want to or cannot afford to buy a new computer<\/span><\/p>\n Alternatives to ESU Licenses:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Unless you want to switch to another operating system like Linux or buy a Chromebook or an Apple computer, your other alternative is upgrading to Windows 11 if your current computer meets<\/span> the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 or buying a new computer. This is certainly the least costly alternative since upgrading to Windows 11 is free. The downside is that many Windows 10 computers are not upgradeable to Windows 11 as they don’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11. Buying a new Windows 11 computer may be a more cost-effective solution in the long run. Windows 11 offers continued security updates and Windows 11 is certainly more like Windows 10 than Linux or Chromebooks. And a new Windows 11 computer is certainly more like Windows 10 and far less costly than an Apple computer. The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The ESU program provides a way to extend security updates for Windows 10 devices beyond October 14. 2025. However, the increasing yearly cost requires careful consideration.\u00a0 It may be frugal to pay $61 for the first year but every year after that, the cost doubles. <\/span><\/p>\n When you consider you can buy a decent Windows 11 laptop or desktop for less than $350, paying $122 for year #2 and $244 may not make much sense for most people as those dollars would be better spent on buying a new computer.<\/span><\/p>\n Our Spring Donation Drive is Underway!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Make a small donation and help us to keep on helping you!<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Our annual spring donation drive is underway. Sales of our products and services help keep the lights on at Cloudeight.\u00a0 But if you don\u2019t need any of our products or services right now, please help us with a <\/span>donation. Even the smallest gift is appreciated. Every donation helps us to provide useful information that helps you with your computer as well as helps to keep you safe on the Internet. We offer free help to thousands of people every year\u2026 and we offer an honest and inexpensive computer repair service too. We do everything we can to help you with your computer and to help you stay safe too.<\/span><\/p>\n So, if you don\u2019t need any of our products or services right now, please consider helping us with a small donation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Are you interested in making a monthly gift? Visit this page<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Please help us keep helping you!<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you so much for your support!\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You Can Keep Using Windows 10, but It’s Going to Cost You Microsoft Announces Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) For the first time, Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates (ESU) to home users. The ESU program for Windows 10 allows Windows 10 users to purchase extended security updates for Windows 10 devices beyond the end\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4353,3948,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28180"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28187,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180\/revisions\/28187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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