Microsoft prolong their Windows 365 promotion, which offers a 20% discount to first-time customers. This ties in neatly with the flexibility offered to users of a Windows 10 device (now end of support), as they can continue to receive ESUs whilst accessing Windows 365. The promotion runs until April 30, 2026.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4hjL2Bc.
For consumers accessing Windows 10 Extended Security Updates, this typically requires either syncing your PC to Windows Backup, redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or paying the equivalent of $30. However, there’s a notable exception for countries in the European Economic Area. Provided you sign into your device with a Microsoft account, ESUs can be enabled until October 13, 2026 at no extra cost.
This link will take you to your region-specific details depending on your location: https://bit.ly/47g17TR.
Windows 10 finally reached its end of support on October 14, 2025. Originally the impact of this deadline meant that running the Microsoft 365 Apps on it would not be supported. This would have affected the two types of updates available for the Microsoft 365 Apps: feature updates for functionality and performance improvements, and the separate security updates for critical patches and bug fixes. Microsoft have since announced an extension on both, with feature updates continuing up to January 12, 2027 (depending on your chosen update channel), and security updates continuing until October 10, 2028.
You can find full details here: http://bit.ly/4qaDXqK.
Microsoft announce details of their Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program. Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025 at which point 3 years of ESUs will be available for commercial and education customers.
They’ll cost $61 per device for commercial customers (https://bit.ly/3ArI2So) and $1 per device for education customers (https://bit.ly/3YTPL52), with prices doubling for year 2 and again for year 3. Customers running Windows 10 in Azure Virtual Desktop will be entitled to free ESUs.
In addition, there’s a new ESU program for consumers (https://bit.ly/4htLXi6) which is a 1-year option costing $30 per device.
Microsoft announce that Windows Virtual Desktop is now Azure Virtual Desktop. There are a whole host of new features in preview, as well as a new licensing option. Historically, users licensed with Microsoft 365 E3/E5/F3/Business Premium or Windows 10 E3/E5 or Windows 10 VDA E3/E5 licenses have rights to the service for virtual desktops and apps. Now, there’s a per user option for external users which is a monthly per user price of $5.50 for apps, or $10 for apps + desktops, with a no-cost promotional period from 14 July, 2021 to 31 December, 2021.
Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3v4aa56.
Microsoft announce that Power Automate Desktop is now available to Windows 10 users at no additional cost.
It’s a free download and enables users to automate tasks by recording actions such as mouse and keyboard clicks across multiple applications, and then replaying them when needed. Users who then want to share flows across an organisation and to take advantage of additional capabilities will need to be licensed with a Power Automate with Attended RPA user licence.
This currently costs $40 per user per month, but there’s a promotion beginning on 1 April, 2021 where the licence (as long as a minimum of 5,000 are purchased) will only cost $15 per user per month until 30 September, 2021.
Find the announcement with links to download Power Automate Desktop and to access further information, here: http://bit.ly/2PLXLE7.
Microsoft announce that Universal Print is generally available.
This is a software-as-a-service printing solution that runs entirely on Microsoft Azure and eliminates the need to maintain traditional on-premises print servers or install printer drivers.
Customers with Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5, or Microsoft 365 F3, E3, E5 or Business Premium licences are already licensed for Universal Print, or there are standalone Universal Print licences available.
Each licence includes 5 print jobs per month which are pooled at the tenant level, and if additional capacity is needed there are Add-ons available providing a further 500 print jobs per month.
Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/30hyRy6, and a useful page on the licensing here: http://bit.ly/38kUiD0.
From November 1, 2020 customers who have purchased Microsoft 365 A3/A5 or Windows 10 Enterprise A3/A5 through CSP can upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Education, and page 42 of the November 2020 Product Terms is updated with this change.
Partners will need to submit a support request to get a Windows 10 Pro Education key which is installed by the customer and then, when the device joins the tenant domain, it is automatically upgraded to Windows 10 Education.
Get a step-by-step guide to the process and an FAQ here: https://bit.ly/36nkkUp, and a useful overview of the Windows 10 editions for education customers here: https://bit.ly/3lfBqJQ.
There’s a new (October 2020) Microsoft Licensing Brief to help you to answer questions around Windows 10 Qualifying Operating Systems.
Note though, that it’s not yet updated for the changes that were made to page 42 of the November 2020 Product Terms whereby Windows 10 Home licences are now qualifying licences for academic customers buying through CSP.
Find this document here: https://bit.ly/38xPnPR.
There are several different editions of Windows 10. If you want a detailed comparison chart showing the differences between the editions, then you can find one here: http://bit.ly/2H9XbJ6.