If you’re reading this with a few Windows 10 PCs still in the office, you’re in good company. Plenty of small businesses put the move to Windows 11 off, and Microsoft’s paid extended security updates (ESU) were created to buy them time. That time is now being used up, and the price of buying more of it goes up.
This article sets out what has happened, what the extra cover costs in pounds, and how to decide what to do with each machine, without the scare tactics. It’s written for owners and office managers rather than IT specialists.
What actually happened to Windows 10
Windows 10 reached its end of support on 14 October 2025. From that date, Microsoft stopped providing technical support, feature updates and security fixes for it, unless a device is enrolled in the paid Extended Security Updates programme.
ESU is a per-device subscription that delivers critical and important security updates for up to three years after end of support. The device must be running Windows 10 version 22H2 to qualify. The first year of that cover is now coming to an end, which is why this is back on the agenda for many businesses.
Your Windows 10 PCs haven’t stopped working. What has changed is that, without ESU, newly discovered security flaws are no longer fixed, and attackers know exactly which machines they can target.
What ESU costs in pounds
Microsoft sets the commercial ESU price per device and doubles it for each consecutive year. In the UK, expect roughly £58 to £66 per device in year one, depending on the reseller and your agreement. Ask your Microsoft partner for a written quote, and check whether it includes VAT, before you budget.
One detail catches people out: ESU is cumulative. If you didn’t buy year one, buying year two means paying for year one as well. A device first enrolled in year two therefore costs roughly £174 to £198 (year one plus year two), not £116 to £132. Keeping a single device on ESU for all three years adds up to roughly £406 to £462.
“ESU buys you time. It doesn’t fix the problem — and the price doubles every year you rely on it.”
Your four options for each Windows 10 device
You don’t have to treat every PC the same way. The sensible approach is to decide device by device.
Can your PCs run Windows 11?
Microsoft’s minimum requirements include a compatible 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, UEFI firmware with Secure Boot and a TPM 2.0 security chip. In practice, PCs bought from around 2018 onwards usually pass, while older machines often fail on the processor or the TPM.
You can check any PC in a couple of minutes: open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update, or run Microsoft’s PC Health Check app. It will say plainly whether the machine meets the requirements and, if not, why.
A worked example
Take a 20-PC office where 12 machines pass the Windows 11 check and 8 don’t. The 12 can be upgraded. For the other 8, the choices look like this on the figures above (illustrative, excluding VAT):
- ESU from year two, including the year-one catch-up8 devices × £174–£198 = about £1,392 to £1,584 for the first year of cover.
- ESU for all three years8 devices × £406–£462 = about £3,248 to £3,696, for machines that are still out of date at the end of it.
- Replace the 8A one-off hardware cost, after which the machines are supported for years and you stop paying for extended cover.
That’s why ESU works as a short bridge but rarely as a long-term plan.
Keeping bridged machines safer
Any Windows 10 device that stays in service without ESU, or is only covered for a short time, carries more risk. A few practical controls reduce it:
- Remove local admin rightsMost attacks need elevated rights to do real damage.
- Limit what the device can doRestrict web browsing and email on those machines, and keep them away from your most sensitive data.
- Keep endpoint protection currentAnti-malware is a safety net, not a substitute for security updates.
- Block non-compliant devices from company systemsIf you use Microsoft 365, conditional access can stop unmanaged or out-of-date devices reaching email and files.
Not sure which Windows 10 PCs to upgrade, replace or bridge?
Tell us what you’ve got and we’ll talk it through: which devices can move to Windows 11, which should be replaced, and what the sensible budget looks like. Techfident manages hardware procurement end to end, so you deal with us from the first conversation to delivery.
What to do this week
- 1. List every Windows 10 deviceModel, age, who uses it and what business software it runs.
- 2. Run the Windows 11 check on each oneIt takes minutes and sorts your estate into pass and fail.
- 3. Decide per deviceUpgrade, replace, bridge or move to a cloud PC, using the options above.
- 4. Get a written ESU quote for any bridged devicesAsk your Microsoft partner for current UK pricing, whether it includes VAT, and put an exit date against each machine.
- 5. Phase the replacementsSpreading the spend over a few months is far easier than an emergency purchase.
Windows 10 PCs are still usable, but without security updates they’re a growing risk. Upgrade what can be upgraded, replace what can’t, and only pay for ESU where a machine has a firm leave date. The longer a device stays on paid cover, the more it costs for a PC that is getting older, not better.
Sources: Microsoft Learn, Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 (end of support date, eligibility, annual doubling of the price, three-year maximum, cumulative cover, no technical support). The pounds figures are typical UK price ranges per device, with the worked example calculated from them, so confirm current pricing and VAT with your Microsoft partner.
Common questions about Windows 10 ESU
Yes, Windows 10 still runs, but without ESU it no longer receives security fixes. New flaws stay open, which makes those machines a growing risk, and that matters for insurance and for Cyber Essentials, which expects software to be supported and patched. If you rely on ESU for a device, check with your assessor how it is treated.
Microsoft doubles the commercial ESU price each year, for up to three years. In the UK, year one is typically about £58 to £66 per device, year two about £116 to £132 and year three about £232 to £264. Confirm current pricing and VAT with your Microsoft partner.
It is worth it as a short bridge for specific devices that will be upgraded, replaced or retired by a known date. It is poor value as a long-term plan, because the price doubles each year and you are paying to keep ageing hardware on an operating system that gets only security fixes.
ESU is cumulative. Enrolling a device in year two means paying for year one as well, so on the figures above that is roughly £174 to £198 per device rather than £116 to £132.
It needs a compatible 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, UEFI with Secure Boot and a TPM 2.0 chip. PCs bought from around 2018 onwards usually pass, and Windows Update or the PC Health Check app will tell you for certain.
No. ESU provides security updates only. Microsoft limits help to licence activation, installation and problems caused by the ESU updates themselves, so you still need an IT support arrangement of your own.