Windows 10’s extended support could cost businesses over $7 billion

According to recent estimates, over 120 million computers will still be running the predecessor to Windows 11 even after October 14th, 2025, which is the official end of support date for Windows 10.

Analysis company Nexthink (via BetaNews) estimates that extended support for Windows 10 will cost companies around $7.3 billion USD. That’s based on the assumption that all 120 million PCs still on Windows 10 will pay the $61-per-device cost for the first year of extended support.

However, these additional costs resulting from extended Windows 10 support are offset by the advantages that come from continued use of Windows 10 for the time being. Nexthink’s analysis shows that Windows 11 devices are currently more unstable, with more frequent system crashes (1.2 percent compared to 0.6 percent for Windows 10) and hard resets (9.9 percent compared to 8.5 percent for Windows 10). Stability and reliability are particularly important for corporate use.

However, the above figures are only relevant for companies and public organizations that are required to pay for extended Windows 10 support. Private users have two free options for Windows 10 extended support in addition to the paid ESU program:

• Option 1: Activate Windows backup, which syncs PC settings on the cloud. OneDrive serves as the storage location and you need a Microsoft account for this. OneDrive offers 5GB of space for free.
• Option 2: Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Users receive these points for using Microsoft services, such as Bing Search. A Microsoft account is also required for this.

The option to continue receiving free Windows 10 security updates for at least another year is probably one of the biggest reasons why Windows 10 remains so popular among users.