Microsoft has announced plans to offer paid security updates for home users who choose to keep using Windows 10 beyond the official end of support date on October 14, 2025. This marks the first time home users, rather than just businesses, will have access to the company’s Extended Security Update (ESU) program, ensuring that their operating systems can remain secure even if they cannot upgrade to Windows 11.
While Microsoft is encouraging all users to switch to Windows 11, some are likely to continue running the previous iteration due to incompatible hardware. Apart from a 64-bit processor of 1GHz or more, 4GB of RAM, at least 64GB of storage space and a DirectX 12-compatible graphics card, the newer platform requires PCs to also include TPM 2.0. The latter is often the cause which prevents users from upgrading from Windows 10.
In its blog post, Microsoft explains that the Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 10, for the first time, will be open to home users too – in the form of a one-year option priced at US$30 (~RM131). Businesses, on the other hand, are charged US$61 (~RM266) for a single year of ESU. They also have the option to pay US$122 (~RM532) for a second year and then US$244 (~RM1,065) for a third year of updates.
However, note that the ESU program will only cover essential security updates, specifically addressing critical and important vulnerabilities in Windows 10. While Microsoft will cease feature updates for Windows 10, the company has confirmed it will continue providing security intelligence updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus through at least October 2028, adding an extra layer of protection for users.
Consumers will be able to enroll in the ESU program “closer to the end of support in 2025.” Naturally, Microsoft is once again encouraging consumers to upgrade to Windows 11 instead of purchasing extended security updates for Windows 10. You can check out our article on how to enable TPM on supported systems, while for those who want to try your luck to bypass the requirement entirely, an alternative method also exists.
(Source: Microsoft [official blog])
