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Windows 10 ESU Year 1 Is Over: What Autodesk Inventor Teams Should Do With Windows 10 Workstations | Autodesk Inventor | Register and Certify Ownership of CAD design

2026-10-19 15:28 News
On 13 October 2026, the first year of Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 ended for businesses. Windows 10 PCs in companies that did not buy Year 2 no longer receive security patches. For Autodesk Inventor teams, this lands on top of a decision Autodesk already made: Inventor 2027 supports only 64-bit Windows 11.
Windows 10 reached its end of support on 14 October 2025. Since then, Microsoft has only shipped security fixes to devices enrolled in ESU, a paid, year-by-year programme. Year 1 cost businesses $61 per device. Year 2, which now runs to 12 October 2027, costs twice that, and the price doubles again for a third and final year. Home users got a different deal: in June 2026 Microsoft quietly extended its consumer ESU to 12 October 2027. That extension does not cover company PCs bought and managed through volume licensing.
Engineering offices are among the slowest to move. CAD workstations are expensive, carefully tuned, and often run older Inventor releases for long-running customer projects. This article explains what changed on 13 October, how it affects Inventor 2026 and 2027, and what CAD managers should do with the Windows 10 machines that still hold design data.
TL;DR: Windows 10 and Inventor after 13 October 2026

Commercial ESU Year 1 is over. A Windows 10 PC that is not enrolled in Year 2 gets no more security patches, and Microsoft requires Year 1 to be paid as well if you join now. Inventor 2027 lists only 64-bit Windows 11 as a supported system; Inventor 2026 still lists Windows 10 and Windows 11. Unpatched workstations with Vault access and local copies of your models are an easy way in for attackers. Plan the move to Windows 11, buy Year 2 only for machines that cannot move yet, isolate the rest, and keep independent proof of your designs.

What exactly ended on 13 October 2026?

The first year of commercial ESU coverage. Under Microsoft's rules, ESU is sold per device and per year through volume licensing, with no partial periods, and only for Windows 10 version 22H2. ESUs are cumulative: Microsoft's own FAQ says that if you decide to buy in Year Two, you also have to pay for Year One. ESU brings critical and important security updates only. It does not include new features, non-security fixes or general technical support. You can read the full terms on Microsoft's ESU programme page.
There are exceptions. Windows 10 virtual machines in Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and several other Microsoft cloud and Azure Local services get ESU at no extra cost, and Windows 10 devices that connect to Windows 365 Cloud PCs are entitled to ESU for up to three years with an active subscription. For a typical engineering office with physical workstations under desks, none of that applies automatically.
The risk is not theoretical. TechTimes, citing asset-management firm Lansweeper, reported on 15 October that the average Windows 10 device carries 1,903 active vulnerabilities against 652 on Windows 11, and that manufacturing is among the sectors with the highest Windows 10 share, at 18 percent. Attackers also compare each Windows 11 patch with the old code to find the same flaw in Windows 10, a method called patch-diffing. Every month without updates widens the gap.

Does Inventor 2027 run on Windows 10?

Not as a supported setup. Autodesk's system requirements for Inventor 2027 list one operating system: 64-bit Microsoft Windows 11. Autodesk's Japanese developer blog repeated the same point when Inventor 2027 shipped in March 2026. The standalone Inventor Apprentice Server 2027, used by many add-ins and viewers, also lists Windows 11 64-bit, and so does Factory Design Utilities 2027.
Inventor 2026 is different: its requirements still list both Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit. That gives teams a way to keep working on Windows 10 for now, but it is a dead end. Windows 10 itself is out of support, so a problem on that platform may be hard to get fixed, and every new Inventor feature, including the Autodesk Assistant work we covered in our report on Inventor AI after AU 2026, will arrive on Windows 11 first.
There is a second compatibility change hidden in the 2027 release. Inventor 2027 moves add-ins from .NET 8 to .NET 10. If you upgrade Windows and Inventor in one step, test your in-house add-ins, iLogic rules that call external libraries, and third-party tools before the switch, not after it.

What does this mean for your design data?

A CAD workstation is not just a seat. It holds a Vault login, cached copies of parts and assemblies, exported STEP files for suppliers, and often saved credentials for email and file sharing. An unpatched machine with that kind of access is exactly what attackers look for, as our articles on how often cyberattacks target manufacturing IP and the real costs of CAD data breaches explain.
Last week showed how fast this can go wrong. Our report on the Clop PLM data leak described how one unpatched product data server led to engineering drawings being published on the dark web. And Autodesk's own advisory list keeps moving: the ADP Desktop SDK advisory ADSK-SA-2026-0017 needed a fix delivered through Autodesk Access. Fixes like that assume the operating system under them is still being patched.
There is also a legal angle. Trade secret protection depends on showing you took reasonable steps to keep information secret. Running design work on machines the vendor no longer patches, without a plan, is the kind of detail an opposing lawyer will ask about. Our guide on protecting trade secrets in manufacturing covers what courts look for.
An old workstation can be wiped or breached. Your proof of authorship should live somewhere else.

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What are the options for each Windows 10 machine?

There is no single answer for a whole office. The right choice depends on the hardware, the Inventor release the machine must run, and what data it can reach. This table sums up the main options, based on Microsoft's and Autodesk's published terms on 19 October 2026.
OptionWhat it gives youWhat to watch
Upgrade to Windows 11Supported platform for Inventor 2026 and 2027; security updates continueHardware check, driver and add-in testing, .NET 10 for Inventor 2027 add-ins
Buy ESU Year 2Security patches for Windows 10 22H2 until 12 October 2027$122 per device, Year 1 must also be paid, no new features, Inventor 2027 still unsupported
Windows 365 or Azure Virtual DesktopESU at no extra cost for Windows 10 virtual machinesSubscription cost, graphics performance for large assemblies, where your data is stored
Isolate the machineKeeps a legacy Inventor seat for old projectsNo internet, no email, no Vault write access, strict USB rules
Retire the machineRemoves the risk completelyWipe disks securely and remove cached Vault data and saved credentials
Stay on Windows 10 without ESUNothing newNo security patches; not recommended for any machine with design data
The TechTimes report adds a useful data point: according to Lansweeper, only 2.8 percent of enterprise Windows 10 devices fail Windows 11's hardware requirements. For most offices, the barrier is time and testing, not hardware. CAD workstations bought in the last few years usually qualify, but check graphics drivers and any licence dongles or plug-ins before you plan the day.

What should Inventor CAD managers do now?

  1. List every Windows 10 machine that touches design data. Include CAD workstations, laptops, the Vault job processor, shop-floor PCs that open drawings, and the machine in the corner that runs an old Inventor release for one customer.
  2. Decide per machine: upgrade, ESU, isolate or retire. Use the table above. Buy Year 2 only for machines that truly cannot move before October 2027, and remember Year 1 has to be paid too.
  3. Plan the Windows 11 move together with Inventor. Test Inventor 2026 or 2027, your add-ins, iLogic rules and Content Center on one pilot workstation first. For Inventor 2027, check .NET 10 versions of every add-in.
  4. Check your Vault and server side. Confirm the operating systems your Vault release supports for clients, the server and the job processor, using Autodesk's requirements for your exact version. Keep the Vault server patched and off the open internet. Our Inventor Vault setup and management tips cover the basics.
  5. Back up before you upgrade. In-place upgrades usually work, but not always. Follow our CAD file backup strategies and make sure local workspaces are checked in.
  6. Clean up machines you retire. Remove cached Vault files, saved passwords and local exports, then wipe the disk. Old workstations sold or recycled with design files on them are a quiet way IP leaves the company.
  7. Keep independent proof of your key designs. Register important versions with a timestamp outside your machines and your vault, so a breach or a failed migration does not take your evidence of authorship with it.
Remote and hybrid teams need extra care, because laptops at home are the machines most likely to miss updates. Our remote CAD team security protocols and the article on tracking who accesses your CAD files explain how to keep an eye on design data outside the office.

Is buying ESU Year 2 worth it for CAD workstations?

Sometimes. If a workstation runs a validated setup for a regulated customer, or a legacy Inventor release that a project contract requires, a year of patches buys time to migrate safely. But ESU is a bridge, not a destination. It does not make Inventor 2027 supported on Windows 10, it does not include technical support, and the price doubles again for the third and last year. For most seats, the money is better spent on the upgrade work itself.
The bigger risk is the machine nobody owns: the old PC used once a month to open archived models, never enrolled, never updated. Those are the devices that end up as the entry point in incident reports. The article on common mistakes engineers make with CAD security lists more of these blind spots.

The bigger picture

This week's news on our sister sites points the same way: the systems and the people around design data need the same care as the data itself.
CADChain explains how its CAD data protection technology works across tools, and our recent article on Autodesk APS passthrough billing covers another change Inventor CAD managers should budget for.

Conclusion

The end of ESU Year 1 is not a dramatic event. Windows 10 PCs keep starting, Inventor 2026 keeps opening files, and nothing looks different on Monday morning. What changed is that every unenrolled machine now stops getting fixes, while attackers keep finding new flaws. Combined with Inventor 2027's Windows 11-only support, the direction is clear. List your Windows 10 machines, decide what happens to each one, move CAD seats to Windows 11 with proper testing, isolate or retire what is left, and keep proof of your designs that does not depend on any single PC.
Your designs, your proof.

BORIS for Autodesk Inventor gives every registered file a blockchain timestamp and a certificate of ownership, without sending your models to a cloud service.

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FAQ: Windows 10 ESU and Autodesk Inventor

What ended on 13 October 2026?

The first year of Microsoft's commercial Extended Security Updates for Windows 10. Business PCs that are not enrolled in Year 2 no longer receive Windows 10 security updates.

How much does ESU Year 2 cost?

Microsoft prices commercial ESU at $61 per device for Year 1 and doubles the price each year, so Year 2 is $122 per device. ESUs are cumulative: if you buy in Year 2, you must also pay for Year 1.

Didn't Microsoft extend free updates to 2027?

Only for consumers. In June 2026 Microsoft extended its consumer ESU programme to 12 October 2027. Company PCs managed through volume licensing need commercial ESU.

Is Inventor 2027 supported on Windows 10?

No. Autodesk's system requirements for Inventor 2027 list only 64-bit Windows 11. Inventor 2026 still lists Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Can we keep running Inventor 2026 on Windows 10?

It is still listed as supported by Autodesk, but Windows 10 itself no longer gets security fixes unless the PC is enrolled in ESU. Treat it as a short-term bridge and isolate those machines from email and the internet.

What about Windows 10 in the cloud?

Microsoft provides ESU at no extra cost for Windows 10 virtual machines in Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and several other Azure services. Check graphics performance and data location before moving CAD work there.

What should we check before upgrading to Windows 11?

Hardware compatibility, graphics drivers, licence tools, add-ins (Inventor 2027 uses .NET 10), iLogic rules and Vault client versions. Back up and check in all local work first.

How does BORIS help during a migration?

BORIS for Autodesk Inventor registers CAD files with a blockchain timestamp from inside Inventor. Each registered version gets a dated certificate of ownership stored outside your workstation and your vault, so a breach or a failed upgrade does not erase your proof of authorship.