Support for Windows 7 ends on January 14, 2020. While many customers are well on their way to deploying Windows 10, Microsoft understands that everyone is at a different point in the upgrade process. Businesses of any size with Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise can purchase Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program beginning on Monday, December 2, 2019.
Windows 7 ESUs are sold on a per-device basis and are available for purchase in 12-month increments only. As a result, you cannot purchase ESUs for partial periods (e.g. six months). Coverage will be available in three consecutive 12-month increments following Windows 7 end of support on January 14, 2020, and the price will increase each year.
If you are a CSP partner, here are the steps[i] you need to follow to purchase Windows 7 ESUs on behalf of your customers:
- Visit the Partner Center.
- Select Add products > Select > Software, then filter the results to Type: Software Subscriptions, and Term: 1 year.
- Select Windows 7 Extended Security Updates from the Products list, indicate the quantity of Windows 7 ESUs desired, select Add to cart, and complete the transaction.
Purchasing Windows 7 ESUs through the Partner Center
Once the order is completed and processed, you will see the keys appear in the Partner Center within the hour—and the indirect reseller or end customer will see them in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
How Windows 7 ESU purchases, and number of licenses for each MAK key, appear in the Partner Center.
Each transaction for Windows 7 ESU licenses will generate a unique MAK key. If a customer purchases Windows 7 ESUs at multiple points in time, CSP partners will be able to see the full list of transactions in the Partner Center for that customer. The customer will also see the MAK keys and associated licenses in their Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
CSP partners purchasing Windows 7 ESUs on behalf of multiple customers will be able to see the full list of customers they’ve transacted with in Partner Center, as shown below.
For more information on how to install, activate, and deploy ESUs, see How to get Extended Security Updates for eligible Windows devices. For more information on how to process the Windows 7 ESU transaction, see Sell software subscriptions through CSP.
If you are an indirect reseller and looking to purchase ESUs, you will need to find an indirect provider. If you are a customer looking to purchase Windows 7 ESUs through a CSP partner, you can find a CSP through the Microsoft Solution Providers database.
[i] The interface and steps shown may differ slightly depending on how you access the Partner Center.
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