Are you still using Windows 10? Microsoft will charge hundreds for security updates

We've known that for some time Microsoft is dropping support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. But on Tuesday, Microsoft announced how much it will cost businesses to continue getting security updates for its legacy operating system, which was first reported by the edge.

Microsoft will charge $61 per device for the first year of security updates, according to a published blog post Tuesday. Every year after that, the price doubles. The second year costs $122, the third year $244, the fourth year $488, and so on. It could end up costing you a fortune to keep Windows 10 safe.

Microsoft updated the blog on Wednesday to note that this only applies to enterprises. Consumers will have a different pricing plan that will be released at a later date.

These extended security updates are typically only offered to organizations running older Windows operating systems, but will soon be offered to consumers for the first time. Microsoft is expanding this subscription program due to the large number of people still using Windows 10. According to Statistics counterNearly 70% of Windows users are still using Windows 10.

Part of the reason for this is that millions of older computers can't run Windows 11. Microsoft lists All system requirements Necessary to support the latest operating system. For example, your system must have at least 4GB of RAM and at least 64GB of storage space to upgrade to Windows 11. This is more than Windows 10 requirements for 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.

The likely result of this is that millions of people will have to buy new laptops and computers. After a few years, this will become a cheaper option than paying hundreds of dollars, or even thousands of dollars, for ongoing security updates.

This also raises the question of what Microsoft will do when it releases Windows 12. There have been rumors that The next Windows could be available in June 2024It will almost certainly be packed with AI capabilities. This means the hardware requirements are greater, and Windows 11 users could be left in the dust, just as Windows 10 users are now.