Windows 10 LTSC 2021 has five months before security updates cost extra

Microsoft has dropped a reminder that Windows 10 LTSC 2021 will wheeze its last breath soon, and enterprises need to plan for the event. While free support for most editions of Windows 10 ended last year, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 is still receiving updates. That support will end on January 12, 2027, with a final security update. The good news is that administrators can keep the security updates flowing via the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. The bad news is the price: $61 per device for Year 1, doubling in each subsequent year until the three-year program ends on January 8, 2030. ESU sales begin on September 1, 2026, and licenses are cumulative, so an organization joining in Year 2 must also pay for Year 1. The ESU offer doesn't apply to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC, which remains in support until January 13, 2032. Organizations using a Microsoft cloud-based update service such as Intune or Autopatch can score a 25 percent discount, bringing the Year 1 price down to $45 per device. Everyone else pays full price through Volume Licensing or a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider. Windows 10 has become the cockroach of IT over the last year. Free support for many versions ended in 2025, but despite Microsoft's attempts to stamp it out, it still accounts for just under 30 percent of the market, according to Statcounter's sample. In July, asset tracking service Lansweeper reported that 16.9 percent of the devices it monitored were running Windows 10 and that migration had slowed to a crawl. Those who could make the jump to Windows 11 had, and those who couldn't (or didn't want to) remained on the older operating system. There are multiple reasons for the refuseniks. Some specialist applications or hardware setups, including those used in healthcare, won't work with Windows 11. Then there are Windows 11's hardware requirements, which ruled out devices otherwise capable of running the operating system. Microsoft recently said it would optimize the code for systems with 8 GB of RAM, but that does nothing for machines excluded by its processor and TPM compatibility rules. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 bought organizations a few more years of updates without an ESU bill. That reprieve ends on January 12, 2027. ®