Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) in Ireland
Microsoft ended standard support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025.
If eligible Windows 10 devices cannot yet move to Windows 11, Microsoft's Extended Security Updates programme provides a temporary way to continue receiving critical and important security updates while the organisation completes its migration.
SAMI accepts Windows 10 ESU licensing enquiries from Irish schools, colleges, ETBs, charities and non-profit organisations.
ESU is a transition measure. It does not replace the need to plan for a supported Windows platform.
What Windows 10 ESU provides
| Windows 10 ESU provides | Windows 10 ESU does not provide |
|---|---|
| Critical and important security updates for eligible enrolled devices | New Windows features |
| Continued security-update coverage beyond Windows 10 end of support | Customer-requested non-security updates |
| Annual coverage for organisations that need additional migration time | Design changes or product enhancements |
| A temporary bridge while eligible devices are moved to a supported platform | General Windows technical support |
A Windows 10 PC does not automatically stop working because standard support has ended. The issue is that the normal Windows 10 support lifecycle no longer provides the same ongoing security and quality-update path. ESU is intended for organisations that need additional time before eligible devices can be replaced or upgraded.
Which devices can use Windows 10 ESU?
Microsoft's current organisational ESU documentation requires eligible devices to run Windows 10, version 22H2 and to meet Microsoft's current prerequisite-update requirements.
Before preparing a quotation, identify:
- how many Windows 10 devices still need to remain in service;
- whether those devices are running Windows 10 22H2;
- whether the devices are physical endpoints, virtual machines or endpoints associated with a Microsoft cloud environment;
- how the devices are currently managed;
- whether the organisation has already purchased an ESU year.
Windows Long-Term Servicing releases have their own lifecycle arrangements and should not automatically be treated as part of the standard Windows 10 ESU requirement.
How long can an organisation use Windows 10 ESU?
Microsoft's organisational ESU programme is purchased by year.
Important points:
- partial-year purchases are not available;
- commercial and educational organisations can receive ESU security updates for a maximum of three years after Windows 10 end of support;
- Microsoft's organisational ESU pricing increases in each consecutive year;
- the programme is cumulative — if an organisation first purchases in Year Two, Microsoft requires Year One to be purchased as well.
SAMI confirms the current applicable price and purchasing route through the quotation process.
Do you definitely need to buy separate ESU licences?
Not always.
Microsoft documents several cloud and virtualisation scenarios in which Windows 10 ESU entitlement can be available without a separate per-device ESU purchase.
If your organisation uses Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop or another Microsoft-hosted Windows environment, tell SAMI before ordering separate ESU licences so the current entitlement position can be checked.
What SAMI needs for a Windows 10 ESU quote
Provide:
- Organisation type.
- Approximate number of Windows 10 devices that still need coverage.
- Confirmation that the devices are on Windows 10 22H2, if known.
- Device type — physical, virtual or mixed.
- Current device-management environment, where known.
- Current Microsoft agreement or purchasing route, if known.
- Whether Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop is in use.
- Whether ESU has already been purchased for an earlier year.
- The expected Windows 11 migration or device-replacement timeframe.
If you do not have all of this information, send us the device count and current Windows position first. SAMI can identify the additional information needed to prepare the quotation.
How the ESU enquiry process works
- Step 1
Identify the remaining Windows 10 estate
Establish how many devices genuinely need additional Windows 10 coverage.
- Step 2
Check basic eligibility
Confirm Windows version and the current Microsoft prerequisites.
- Step 3
Check for existing entitlement
Identify whether the device is already covered through an earlier ESU purchase or an applicable Microsoft cloud scenario.
- Step 4
Prepare the current quotation
SAMI confirms the licence quantity and current commercial terms.
- Step 5
Keep the migration plan moving
ESU should give the organisation more time to complete its move away from unsupported Windows 10 devices, not become a reason to postpone migration indefinitely.
Windows 10 ESU questions
When did Windows 10 reach end of support?
Microsoft ended standard support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025.
Will our Windows 10 computers stop working without ESU?
No. Windows 10 devices do not simply stop operating because support has ended. However, organisations that continue using affected Windows 10 devices need to consider the loss of the standard supported security-update lifecycle and whether ESU is appropriate during migration.
Does ESU include new Windows features?
No. Microsoft's ESU programme is focused on critical and important security updates. It does not provide new features, product enhancements or general Windows technical support.
Can we buy six months of ESU?
No. Microsoft's organisational ESU programme is purchased by year rather than as a partial-year subscription.
Can we join ESU in a later year?
Yes, but Microsoft's programme is cumulative. An organisation first entering in Year Two must also purchase Year One.
How many years of Windows 10 ESU are available to organisations?
Microsoft states that PCs belonging to commercial or educational organisations can receive ESU security updates for a maximum of three years after Windows 10 end of support.
Does every Windows 10 PC qualify?
No. Microsoft's organisational documentation requires eligible devices to run Windows 10 version 22H2 and meet current prerequisites. Other Windows servicing releases may follow different lifecycle rules.
Is ESU a replacement for upgrading to Windows 11?
No. ESU is best treated as a temporary security-update bridge for eligible devices that need more time before migration or replacement.
Official Microsoft sources
- Microsoft Learn — Windows 10 Extended Security Updates programme
- Microsoft Learn — Enable Windows 10 Extended Security Updates
Last reviewed: 19 August 2026 · Next review due: February 2027
Related SAMI links
For broader Microsoft 365 Education and school licensing requirements:
Request a Windows 10 ESU quote
Tell us approximately how many Windows 10 devices still need coverage, whether they are running Windows 10 22H2 and whether you already have an ESU or Microsoft cloud entitlement in place.