You received an orange or red in-app status, encountered a forced upgrade, or a Technical Support agent asked you to upgrade ESET to the latest version. And, asking yourself, why or what is it all about?

 

Four simple reasons

1.In response to evolving threats, we must also upgrade ESET applications. Earlier ESET applications do not guarantee cutting-edge protection.

2.The compatibility of earlier ESET applications with later operating system versions cannot be guaranteed. All known operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Linux and Android, have End of Life policies.

3.Other third-party applications (such as databases, Citrix) that are dependent on specific ESET applications (for example, ESET PROTECT On-Prem/ESMC/ERA/EEI) evolve as well and may become incompatible with unsupported ESET application versions.

4.ESET cannot maintain multiple application versions forever. There are too many obsolete versions installed over customer environments, and it is impossible to provide proper support, accurate documentation, and compatibility.

 

Is it hard to upgrade?

For home users, it is easy. Just upgrade your ESET application and operating system to the latest version.

We understand that business users must spend/invest time and resources in their applications/infrastructure, however, it is important to ensure the best performance and stability of your ESET applications. If you face challenges due to End of Life policy, ESET Extended Support can help you for a given period of time to overcome this.

Note that many later versions of ESET applications contain the auto-upgrade feature, whereas previous versions did not support this.

 

Curious about the End of Life policy?

Learn more about the policy in our guides here:

 

Related "Why End of Life" articles

Windows 7 end of life: Time to move on

The Last Windows XP Security White Paper

Last updated: April 28, 2026

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