This article is more than 2 years old.

Microsoft has always described Windows 10 “as a service” and leaks have already revealed new monthly charges are coming. Of course, for Windows 7 owners this was never something they expected to pay. But times change…

In a new blog post entitled “Helping customers shift to a modern desktop”, Microsoft has announced that it will indeed start charging Windows 7 customers a monthly fee from January 14th 2020, if they want to keep their computers safe.

Microsoft

If this date rings a bell, that’s because it is the day Microsoft will end ‘Extended Support’ for Windows 7 according to the company’s Lifecycle page. This means no more patches or security updates unless, as we now learn, you pay. Furthermore, Microsoft says it will increase the cost of this every year.

“[T]oday we are announcing that we will offer paid Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) through January 2023. The Windows 7 ESU will be sold on a per-device basis and the price will increase each year,” explained Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Office and Windows Marketing, and author of the company’s blog post.

Pricing was not revealed by Spataro, but for some the announcement will be seen as a good thing. Microsoft could have just cut off all Windows 7 users on January 14th 2020, leaving them stranded and their data vulnerable, so the introduction a monthly charge gives users an alternative if they remain dead set against upgrading to Windows 10.

On the flipside, given Windows 7 is still used by almost 40% of computers globally (source), I suspect many users would have expected Microsoft to recognise the platform’s ongoing importance and extend support voluntarily without charge.

Microsoft

Worse still, as it stands, Microsoft is currently only making this offer to Windows 7 Professional customers in Volume Licensing. Some small businesses may qualify, but the vast majority of everyday consumers (most of whom are running Windows 7 Home) will not.

Obviously, Microsoft’s stance may change but, until it does, Windows 7 consumers will have to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 8 (support lasts until January 10th, 2023). Staying put will be unthinkable as every new vulnerability will be unpatched, leaving security holes big enough for hackers to drive a bus through.

If you do now want to upgrade, you’ll run into two pain points: Windows 8 is no longer officially for sale and Windows 10 is no longer a free upgrade, with prices for the latter starting at $139 for an online download.

Consequently, while Windows 7 users have long been able to laugh at the ongoing problems of Windows 10 users, it now appears it will be those users who upgraded for free who will get the last laugh…

Edit: several readers mentioned to me free upgrades to Windows 10 are still available with a Windows 7 key. I tried this on two older machines still running Windows 7 and their keys did not work. Microsoft’s official Windows 10 upgrade page also confirms free upgrades ended 29th July 2016. If you somehow managed to get a free Windows 10 upgrade after this date, I can’t explain it other than to say: Congratulations!

___

Follow Gordon on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

More On Forbes

Windows 10 Leak Exposes Microsoft’s New Monthly Charge

Microsoft ‘Ends’ Windows 7 And Windows 8

Three Reasons Microsoft Stopped Free Windows 10 Upgrades

Microsoft Warns Windows 7 Has A Serious Problem

Microsoft Introduces New Windows 10 Enterprise Monthly Charge

Get the best of Forbes to your inbox with the latest insights from experts across the globe.