With less than a year of support for Windows 7, Microsoft has begun heavily pushing Microsoft 365 and other programs that they hope will entice customers who have yet to migrate. But for those who have not made the move or plan on sticking with Windows 7, pricing for extended support has been announced.
As with the previous version of Windows, pricing will double each year after the expiration of public support for the operating system. Pricing is listed below:
Windows 7 Extended Security Updates
- Year 1 (January 2020 through January 2021): Windows 7 Pro is $50 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $25 per device.
- Year 2 (January 2021 through January 2022): Windows 7 Pro is $100 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $50 per device.
- Year 3 (January 2022 through January 2023): Windows 7 Pro is $200 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $100 per device.
Microsoft uses this model to incentivize customers to move off of the platform. With support fees doubling each year, supporting the outdated OS in your environment can quickly become the most expensive reoccurring fee that you are paying.
The company is hoping that many of its Windows 7/Office 2010 customers will move to Microsoft 365. And with a couple hundred million users still running Windows 7, it will likely be the single largest year of growth for Microsoft 365.