Can’t quit Windows 10? Microsoft will charge for updates next year. Here’s how much

On the page that announced details of the ESU program for commercial customers, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote that details and prices for consumers “will be shared at a later date” on the company’s consumer end-of-support page. Six months later, those details are finally available.

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Consumers will be able to sign up for a one-year ESU subscription for $30. That’s roughly half what businesses will pay for that first year. That deal comes with two significant restrictions, however. 

First, it’s available only for “personal use,” a move that’s obviously designed to discourage business customers from trying to get security updates at a discount. Second, the subscription can’t be renewed after that first year. On October 25, 2026, security updates will stop for good on those consumer PCs.

Still, the fact that Microsoft is even offering a consumer option is noteworthy. The Windows 7 ESU program was messy. It was not exactly friendly to small businesses and there was no option at all for consumers. The difference, of course, is that those customers had a straightforward option to upgrade their Windows 7 PCs to the successor OS, Windows 10. 

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Microsoft says that ESU program enrollment for consumers will be available closer to the end of support date. It’s unclear how many consumers will be willing to fork over $30, but the number of eligible PCs will be frightfully large.