How Windows 10 ESU Pricing Actually Works
Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for businesses cost $61 per device in Year One, $122 in Year Two, and $244 in Year Three — and the charges are cumulative, so skipping a year doesn’t save you money later. Microsoft’s own ESU documentation confirms the price "doubles every consecutive year, for a maximum of three years." If your business is still running Windows 10 on any devices, that’s the number that should be driving your 2027 IT budget conversation right now.
Windows 10 reached its official end of support on October 14, 2025, meaning Microsoft stopped shipping feature updates, quality updates, and free security patches for the OS. Year Two of the ESU program began on that same anniversary in October 2026 — which is why businesses are seeing their renewal invoices double this fall. Year Three, running through roughly October 2028, is the last year ESU will be offered at all. After that, unpatched Windows 10 devices are on their own.
What Year 3 Will Actually Cost You
The doubling isn’t just a Year 3 problem — it’s a cumulative one. Microsoft’s FAQ is explicit: "If you decide to purchase the program in Year Two, you have to pay for Year One too, as ESUs are cumulative." That means a business enrolling late doesn’t pay $244 per device for Year 3 coverage; it pays $61 + $122 + $244, or $427 per device, to get current.
For a 25-device office that put off enrollment, that’s over $10,000 in licensing alone — before accounting for the staff time to deploy activation keys, or the fact that none of it buys a single new feature. It only buys patched vulnerabilities on hardware Microsoft has already told you to replace.
Business ESU vs. Consumer ESU: Don’t Mix Them Up
If you’ve seen headlines about free Windows 10 security updates, that’s the consumer program, and it doesn’t apply to most businesses. According to Microsoft’s consumer ESU page, individuals enrolling a Windows 10 Home or Pro device can get coverage through October 12, 2027 — one enrollment, not three annual tiers — via one of three paths:
- **Free**, if the device is syncing PC settings (Windows Backup)
- **1,000 Microsoft Rewards points**
- **A one-time $30 purchase**
A single consumer license covers up to 10 devices tied to one Microsoft Account. But Microsoft is clear that this path "specifically excludes commercial scenarios, domain-joined devices, and those enrolled in Mobile Device Management solutions." If your machines are on a domain or managed through Intune, you’re in the paid commercial tier — $61/$122/$244 per device, no Rewards points shortcut available.
What ESU Does and Doesn’t Cover
ESU is a patch, not a lifeline. Per Microsoft’s own documentation, the program excludes:
- New features or feature updates
- Customer-requested non-security changes
- Design change requests
- General technical support (only ESU activation and licensing issues are supported, and only with an active Microsoft support plan)
In other words, you’re paying to keep the locks on the door in good repair — not to remodel the house. Devices stay functional either way; Microsoft is upfront that "Windows 10 PCs will continue to work" without ESU, they just won’t receive security or reliability fixes going forward.
Three Realistic Paths Before Year 3 Hits
**Pay for ESU Year 3.** This makes sense for devices tied to specialized software, compliance-locked configurations, or hardware you’ve already budgeted to retire within the next 12–18 months. At $244 per device (or $427 if enrolling late), it buys time, not a solution.
**Upgrade eligible hardware to Windows 11.** Many Windows 10 machines bought in the last four to five years meet Windows 11’s TPM 2.0 and processor requirements and can be upgraded for the cost of IT labor, not new hardware. Worth noting: if you’re weighing new PCs instead, current RAM and SSD pricing is making that option more expensive than it was a year ago, which is its own planning factor.
**Move eligible workloads to the cloud.** Microsoft gives ESU away at no extra charge for Windows 10 virtual machines running in Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and several other Azure-hosted scenarios. For businesses already considering cloud desktops, this effectively erases the ESU bill for those devices.
How to Decide What’s Right for Your Business
Start with an honest device inventory: how many machines are still on Windows 10, how old is the hardware, and which ones touch regulated or sensitive data. Devices handling financial records, client data, or anything covered by a compliance framework shouldn’t be running unpatched past Year 3 under any circumstance. For everything else, run the math on $244–$427 per device for one more year of patches against the cost of a Windows 11 upgrade or replacement — in most cases, the upgrade pays for itself within a single ESU cycle.
Common Questions About Windows 10 ESU Pricing
**How much does Windows 10 ESU cost for a business?** $61 per device for Year One, $122 for Year Two, and $244 for Year Three, purchased through Microsoft Volume Licensing. Charges are cumulative — enrolling late means paying for every prior year too, not just the current one.
**Can a business buy only Year 3 ESU coverage?** No. Microsoft requires sequential, cumulative enrollment — Year Three enrollment includes paying the Year One and Year Two fees retroactively, bringing the total to $427 per device.
**Does Windows 10 ESU include new features or tech support?** No. ESU only delivers critical and important security patches. It excludes new features, non-security fixes, design changes, and general technical support beyond ESU licensing and activation issues.
**Is Windows 10 ESU free for consumers?** Yes, for personal devices only. Consumers can get one year of coverage through October 12, 2027 for free (with Windows Backup syncing enabled), via 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or for a one-time $30 payment. This path doesn’t apply to domain-joined or commercially managed devices.
If your business hasn’t mapped out which devices are still on Windows 10 and what Year 3 will cost, now — before the invoices arrive — is the time to do it.
Sources: Microsoft Learn, "Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10"; Microsoft, "Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates"
