Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, so a business or public body that still wants security updates for a Windows 10 PC now has to pay Microsoft for Extended Security Updates, or ESU, by the year. Year two began on October 14, 2026 at $122 a device for organizations, and a PC that joins now pays for year one as well, which comes to $183 in all.
Keep in mind that these are Microsoft’s prices, not Pace’s, and we’ve given them as Microsoft’s pages showed them on October 22, 2026.
What changed when Windows 10 support ended?
Windows 10 PCs still start and run, but since October 14, 2025 Microsoft no longer gives them technical support, feature updates or quality updates, and the quality updates are the ones that carry the security fixes. Microsoft says this on its ESU page for Windows 10.
ESU puts the critical and important security updates back for PCs on Windows 10 version 22H2, for up to three years. It brings no new features, no fixes that are not about security and no general technical support, which means it only keeps the security fixes coming while you replace the PC.
What does ESU cost in year two?
Microsoft sells ESU per device through Volume Licensing, and it lists the coverage years in its ESU lifecycle FAQ.
- Year one, October 14, 2025 to October 13, 2026: $61 a device.
- Year two, to October 12, 2027: $122 a device, because Microsoft’s price doubles each year.
- Year three, to October 10, 2028: $244 a device, by the same doubling.
ESU is sold by the year with a minimum of one license, and never for part of a year. Microsoft’s FAQ says a PC that joins in year two pays for year one too, because ESU years are cumulative, so 200 Windows 10 PCs joining now at the commercial price come to $36,600 for years one and two.
Schools pay much less, since Microsoft’s education price for K-12 and higher education is $1 a license for the first year, $2 for the second and $4 for the third (Microsoft gave those prices in April 2024).
Is ESU free anywhere?
Microsoft gives ESU at no additional cost to Windows 10 virtual machines in Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and several other Azure services. A Windows 10 PC that connects to a Windows 365 Cloud PC is also entitled to ESU for up to three years, as long as the Windows 365 license is active, and both of these are on Microsoft’s ESU page.
Which Windows 10 PCs can move to Windows 11?
A PC can run Windows 11 if it meets Microsoft’s minimum hardware requirements:
- a compatible 64-bit processor of 1 GHz or faster, with two or more cores
- 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage
- UEFI firmware that is Secure Boot capable
- a Trusted Platform Module, TPM, version 2.0
- graphics compatible with DirectX 12, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
- a 720p display of 9 inches or more
A PC that meets them can upgrade in place from Windows 10 version 2004 or later, as long as the September 14, 2021 security update is installed. On Windows 10 Home and Pro, Microsoft’s PC Health Check app tells you whether one PC qualifies, and for a whole fleet, Microsoft’s Windows 11 planning guide points organizations to Endpoint analytics.
How do you plan the replacement so it is not one rushed purchase?
We recommend counting first: list every Windows 10 PC with its processor, memory, TPM version and age, and then sort the list into three groups.
- PCs that meet the Windows 11 requirements, which you can upgrade in place.
- PCs that fail the requirements and are due for replacement, which should be replaced first.
- PCs that fail but must run another year, which go into ESU until you replace them in the next budget year.
The third group is the one to keep small, because a PC kept on ESU costs $122 for this year and $244 for the next, on top of the $61 for year one.
At Pace Systems we sell HP, Dell, Lenovo, Apple and Microsoft hardware and ship it anywhere in the US. If you want the replacements set up, our lab in Naperville images and asset-tags them and records each serial number in your equipment register in the Pace Hub, and around Chicago we deliver them on our trucks. We’ve imaged and tagged about 4,000 mini PCs on a single order, and replacements that do not need any setup ship straight from the vendor or the distributor.
We also handle returns with the maker for our customers and pass the manufacturer’s warranty through to you, and if we manage your computers, our managed IT service monitors and patches them.
Send us your list of Windows 10 PCs, or the count and the models you want, and ask for a quote. IT hardware from Pace and device deployment say more about what comes with the replacements, and for a large rollout, How to image and tag 1,500 laptops before school starts walks through each step.
Questions
Will Windows 10 PCs stop working?
No, they keep running, but since October 14, 2025 they don’t get security fixes from Microsoft unless they’re enrolled in ESU.
How much is Windows 10 ESU in year two?
For organizations it is $122 a device for year two, and a PC that joins now pays the $61 for year one as well. Microsoft’s education price is $2 a license for year two, after $1 for year one.
Can we buy ESU for six months?
No, because Microsoft sells it by the year only, for up to three years, and the third year ends on October 10, 2028.
How do we find out which PCs can run Windows 11?
Check every PC against Microsoft’s requirements (a compatible 64-bit processor, 4 GB of memory, 64 GB of storage, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0). Microsoft’s PC Health Check app checks one PC at a time, and Endpoint analytics checks a whole fleet.