Microsoft is to let individuals pay for extended support for Windows 10 – the first time it has done so for any version of Windows.
It plans to end existing support on 14 October 2025, after which it won’t release any security fixes or offer technical support.
It normally lets businesses and organisations pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU) after ending support for a version of Windows, but has never previously offered this to individual users.
The current build of Windows 10 is 22H2. Microsoft ended support for 21H2 in June 2023.
Microsoft wrote on its blog: “While we strongly recommend moving to Windows 11, we understand there are circumstances that could prevent you from replacing Windows 10 devices before the EOS [end of service] date.”
It confirmed that businesses will be able to buy an annual subscription to get “critical and/or important security updates” every month for three years. But it didn’t say how much this would cost – nor how much it would charge individual users.
Charges for businesses extending Windows 7 support started at $25 (£20) a year per device. Prices for individuals for Windows 11 are likely to be cheaper.
20,000 sign petition to extend support
Microsoft’s decision follows increasing calls over the past few months for Microsoft to extend support.
In October, non-profit US organisation Public Interest Research Group presented a petition to Microsoft signed by 20,000 people that asked it to keep providing security updates for the “millions of people who can’t upgrade their computers” (www. snipca.com/48629).
Over a billion computers still run Windows 10, while 400 million run Windows 11. Many Computeractive readers have emailed us saying they want to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11, but have been unable to because their computers don’t meet Microsoft’s strict technical specifications.
Microsoft’s decision is likely to receive a mixed response. Many users will be pleased that support is being extended, but they want it to be offered for free.
Speculation that Microsoft would extend support had been growing ever since it added some of Windows 11’s latest tools to 10, including a new backup tool – see Issue 671’s Workshop, page 38.
Rumours intensified when it announced that it will also add the AI tool Copilot to Windows 10.
As with Windows 11, it will have a Copilot button on the taskbar that you ca
