Microsoft wants $30 fee for delaying upgrade to Windows 11

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 users can postpone their transition to Windows 11 for an additional year by paying $30 for the Extended Security Update (ESU) program. This marks the first time the company has disclosed the price for this service, following its announcement of the program in December 2023.

According to Microsoft, support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. After this date, the operating system will no longer receive patches or security updates for newly discovered vulnerabilities, leaving systems vulnerable to emerging threats.

However, the Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) and Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) versions, primarily designed for specialized devices such as those used in healthcare and industrial settings, will continue to receive updates beyond October 2025. For instance, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 will be supported until January 13, 2032, while Windows 10 2016 LTSB will reach its end of support on October 13, 2026.

Yusuf Mehdi, Vice President at Microsoft, stated that the ESU program will allow users to pay $30 to continue receiving updates for one year, with coverage extending until 2025. Currently, about 62% of Windows systems are still running Windows 10, while only 33% have adopted Windows 11, nearly three years after its launch in October 2021.

Additionally, Microsoft will offer the Extended Security Update program to enterprise customers starting November 1, with the first ESU release set for November 2025. Mehdi emphasized the importance of the transition period and the company’s commitment to supporting users throughout this process.

In early June, Microsoft reopened the Windows 10 beta and reintroduced the first Windows 10 Beta version since 2021, nearly three years after the last update was released to Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview channels.

The company advises users to consider upgrading to Windows 11 before the end of support for Windows 10. If their current computers are not capable of the upgrade, they should consider investing in a new PC pre-installed with Windows 11.

Source: Bleeping Computer

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