Microsoft has already announced that support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. After that, you will need to pay an annual fee to use the operating system safely, reports The Verge.
The company told how much commercial organizations will have to pay to receive Extended Security Updates. The first year will cost $61, the second – $122, and the third – $244. If organizations decide to start paying from the second or third year, the previous years will also need to be paid.
“Extended Security Updates are not intended to be a long-term solution but rather a temporary bridge,” explains Microsoft in a blog post. “You can purchase ESU licenses for Windows 10 devices that you don’t plan to upgrade to Windows 11 starting in October 2024, one year before the end of support date.”
Microsoft is also offering a 25% discount to companies that use a cloud-based update solution, such as Intune or Windows Autopatch. For schools, the discount will be even bigger, with only $1 to pay for the first year, and then the price will double.
The company has not yet disclosed details of the further use of Windows 10 by ordinary users, but promised to share details later.
Overall, Microsoft wants more users to upgrade to Windows 11, but there’s a problem here, too, because the new operating system has limitations on which devices can be upgraded. Due to the greater requirements, Windows 11 is only available for computers with processors released after 2018.
As of March 2024, Windows 10 is used by 67% of all Microsoft users, while Windows 11 is used by only 27%. According to StatCounter, this difference is even greater in Ukraine – 81% of users use Windows 10 and only 12% use Windows 11.
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