Windows 10 PCs After October 2026: Pay for ESU or Plan Your Exit?

Windows 10 ESU deadline for businesses

Mainstream support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025. Businesses that signed up for Extended Security Updates (ESU) got one more year of security patches, and that first year runs out on 13 October 2026. If your office still has Windows 10 machines, now is the time to decide what happens to each one.

Why ESU gets expensive quickly

Under Microsoft's commercial ESU terms, the price per device doubles every year:

  • Year 1: USD 61 per device
  • Year 2: USD 122 per device
  • Year 3: USD 244 per device (coverage can run until October 2028)

If you join late, you pay for the earlier years too. For 50 PCs, Year 2 alone is USD 6,100, and a latecomer pays USD 9,150 for Years 1 and 2 together. ESU also only covers security fixes, and PCs must be on Windows 10 version 22H2.

A calmer way to handle it

  • Make a list of every PC, including reception desks and CCTV stations that are easy to forget.
  • Sort machines into three groups: upgrade now, fix firmware first, or replace.
  • Buy ESU only for machines with a clear replacement date.
  • Test the upgrade with 3 to 5 users, then roll out in department waves with backups.

Read the full Windows 10 ESU guide here: Windows 10 ESU Deadline: Stop Paying More for Old PCs

Published by Affix Center, a Mumbai-based IT services company. See how our IT operations team can help with upgrades.

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