Why Microsoft Is Charging for Windows 10 Lifeline and Pushing Windows 11

Windows 10 End‑of‑Support Timeline

Microsoft follows a defined lifecycle policy: when an operating system’s lifecycle ends, Microsoft stops providing technical maintenance and security updates. For Windows 10 the final support deadline is 14 October 2025.

Current Windows 10 Market Share

Windows 10 still accounts for roughly 60 % of the global PC market, which corresponds to about 900 million devices.

Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program

To mitigate the impact of the end‑of‑support, Microsoft offers an Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.

Eligibility

Originally limited to commercial, enterprise, and education customers.

Since October 2024 the program is also available to regular consumers.

Duration and Pricing

Enterprise/education customers can purchase up to three additional years of security updates.

Pricing increases each year (doubling):

Year 1: $61 per device

Year 2: $122 per device

Year 3: $244 per device

Overall cost for three years: $427 (≈ 3,041 CNY).

Consumer‑only option provides a single year of ESU at $30 (≈ 214 CNY).

Purpose

The ESU program serves two goals: (1) provide a short‑term security safety net for devices that cannot be upgraded immediately, and (2) encourage migration to Windows 11, whose market share has only just passed 30 % after more than three years of availability.

Upgrade Recommendations

Microsoft notes that many Windows 10 devices do not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11. For those devices the recommended path is to replace the hardware with a new PC that supports Windows 11.

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