After Windows 10 ends support in 2025, the operating system will no longer receive any new functions. But it will be possible to receive security updates, subject to subscribing to a paid subscription.
More than two years after its release, Windows 11 is still struggling to convince both the general public and businesses, and its predecessor Windows 10 remains by far the most used operating system in the world on personal computers. Despite this ubiquity, Windows 10 is scheduled to end maintenance on October 14, 2025, and the system will no longer receive any new features or improvements after this date. There are therefore less than two years left for individuals and businesses to migrate to Windows 11, the new version of Microsoft’s OS, or even move directly to the next version of Windows, which would be released in fall 2024.
However, what will become of users who are unwilling or unable to leave Windows 10? For businesses, completely updating an IT system is a cumbersome and extremely expensive operation, and some old business software that is still essential does not have a version for Windows 11. On the individual side, not everyone has a computer compatible with the hardware requirements imposed by Microsoft for the installation of Windows 11, and some do not appreciate the changes introduced by the new operating system.
Windows 10: paid security updates for three years
Fortunately, Windows 10 will remain perfectly functional after the fateful date of October 14, 2025, and if Microsoft’s latest innovations in terms of AI, for example, are of no use to you, there is no need to invest in purchasing a new computer. On the other hand, and this is much more annoying, Windows 10 will no longer receive any security-related updates after the October 2025 deadline, which could expose your computer to various more or less serious threats. And to overcome this problem, the only solution available to you will be to take out a paid subscription from Microsoft to continue to receive the precious patches of security.
As at the end of support for Windows 7, Microsoft will offer a program called “Extended Support Updates” (ESU), which will provide security updates over an extended period of three years, until October 2028. Normally reserved for professional and enterprise customers, this extended maintenance plan should this time be open to individuals who would like to continue using Windows 10 for as long as possible, as Microsoft indicates on a dedicated page on its website. Be careful, however, this service will not be free and the prices are prohibitive to say the least, as we discover in a blog post from April 2, 2024.
To make matters worse, the price list turns out to be convoluted and difficult to read, with prices that vary depending on your version of Windows and which will increase over time. In summary, subscribing to the ESU program will cost $61 per computer for the first year, then this price will double each consecutive year. Additionally, because the Expanded Security Update Program is “cumulative,” you’ll also have to pay previous years’ prices if you sign up for the service along the way. Finally, as this price is announced in dollars, it will certainly be higher in France. On the other hand, for Windows 365 subscribers who use a Windows 10 computer to access a virtual PC in the cloud, the ESU program will be included in the price of their subscription and they will not have to pay anything extra to take advantage of the three years of additional security updates.
One thing is not entirely clear, however: while the initial announcement of the ESU program for Windows 10 unambiguously indicated that it would be available to individuals, there is nothing to support this information in the blog post announcing the prices and The three methods presented for accessing the program are all aimed at professional customers. We will therefore have to wait for future clarifications on this subject from Microsoft.
If you’re considering checking out for this program, keep in mind that only security updates for Windows 10 will be provided for three years, and the operating system will not benefit from any updates. new function or improvement as part of the paid maintenance plan. Furthermore, as Microsoft very clearly states on its blog, “The Expanded Security Update Program is not intended to be a long-term solution but rather a temporary bridge” and it will therefore be necessary, at one point or another, to consider another solution.
Given the high price of the extended maintenance program, and unless you have a very specific constraint requiring you to keep a computer running Windows 10, we can only strongly advise you to update your PC to Windows 11 if it is compatible, consider purchasing a new device otherwise or, better, give your computer a second lease of life by installing a Linux distribution and thus continue to use it safely for many years .