Microsoft Extends Free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates Through October 2027
Microsoft has extended the free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program for consumers by an additional year. Devices enrolled in the program will continue to receive security updates until October 12, 2027.
This change was made without a formal announcement; it appeared in updates to Microsoft's Windows 10 ESU documentation and as an editor's note on a Windows Experience Blog post published the day before.
Originally, the consumer ESU program was set to end on October 12, 2026. Users already enrolled will automatically be covered until the new end date in October 2027.
What Microsoft Said About the Extension and How to Enroll for Free
The editor's note on the Windows Experience Blog states that the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for personal devices is being extended for another year, now available through October 12, 2027.
This extension gives users more time to transition to a new Windows 11 PC while continuing to receive essential security updates.
When asked why the extension was implemented, Microsoft told BleepingComputer that they understand moving to a new PC can take time.
As part of their ongoing effort to support customers during the transition, the Windows 10 ESU program for personal devices will now be available for an additional year, providing more flexibility for users to find a suitable PC while remaining protected.
Consumers can continue to receive free extended security updates through several methods: paying $30, backing up Windows settings to a Microsoft account, or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
For users in the European Economic Area, signing into Windows 10 with a Microsoft account also grants access. The ESU license can be used on up to 10 devices linked to the same Microsoft account. Users in the EEA have the simplest option, which requires no payment, backup, or rewards redemption.
Restrictions and What the Extra Year Means for Windows 10 Users
The consumer ESU program has several restrictions:
It is only available for personal devices and cannot be used with systems joined to Active Directory domains or devices connected to Microsoft Entra.
Additionally, devices managed through Mobile Device Management are not eligible. However, Microsoft Entra-registered devices, rather than joined, can participate.
Enterprise customers have access to a separate paid ESU program that extends security updates for up to three years at a total cost of $427 per device.
For users who haven't upgraded to Windows 11 yet, the extension offers an extra year of support. This is especially important given the rising costs of new PCs in 2026, which are driven by the memory pricing crisis making hardware upgrades more expensive than in previous years.
Users who haven't enrolled in the consumer ESU program should do so now to maintain continuous coverage. The enrollment options have not changed. Those who are already enrolled will receive the extension automatically.
For users running Windows 10 on systems that do not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11, this extension can be quite significant.
Around 400 million active PCs cannot officially upgrade to Windows 11 because of TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or supported processor requirements.
The free ESU extension gives these users until October 2027 to either buy new hardware or switch to an alternative operating system such as Linux.
The transition from Windows 10 has been one of Microsoft's most complicated in recent years. The operating system reached its end of support on October 14, 2025, after which Microsoft stopped providing technical support, feature updates, and standard security updates outside of the LTSC and ESU channels.
Microsoft has continued to promote upgrading to Windows 11 or new Copilot+ PCs, although adoption has been slower than expected.
The extension acknowledges that the upgrade process is taking longer than initially planned, especially for users whose hardware remains functional but does not meet Windows 11 requirements. The free ESU extension is now available.
Users with Windows 10 devices should ensure they are enrolled through the most suitable path to continue receiving security updates until October 12, 2027.
Extending Windows 10 ESU through October 2027 while simultaneously improving Windows 11 cross-platform features like Phone Link’s Apple Messages support and delivering 26H2 as a lightweight enablement package shows that Microsoft is pragmatically managing a fragmented user base rather than forcing upgrades. With around 400 million PCs unable to meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, Microsoft clearly recognizes that abandoning these users would be counterproductive. Instead, they are keeping Windows 10 users secure while making Windows 11 more attractive through meaningful cross-platform integration and seamless updates. This dual-track approach is a smart strategy that acknowledges the reality of diverse enterprise and consumer environments rather than trying to push everyone onto the same platform on an arbitrary timeline.
Too late Microsoft; already left and don’t regret the decision at all.
People will stick to win10 as long as possible and bail out of windows entirely when apps start demanding they use win11 and block w10. When most your activity happens in websites, you can just install the same browser in another OS and with sync continue everything there – even on another machine you could swap to more frequently to get used to differences.
MS would be mistaken to assume a mythical ‘windows 12’ will get their prey upgrading to that instead if the crucial non-negotiable issues are not verifiably resolved (ie, data leakage and datamining better not be replaced by on-device processing that leaks only the summaries in a way firewalls cant block). The company MUST resolve those issues in win11 first and stop adding to them.
Windows takes too much effort to de-cr@pify. Much better to start with a different OS thats slim, ressource-efficient and privacy-protecting out of the box.
It still requires that the PC be registered under a Microsoft account, though Windows 10 was installed for local account only.
For now, I’ll keep a PC dual booting Win 10 and Ubuntu, as I have one app that runs only under Windows. Other PC’s have gone Linux-only.
To mitigate risks, I plan to use Windows just for that app… and as soon as I can find a replacement for it, I can mothball Windows entirely.
My laptop is enrolled in the ESU under a local account.
Ya no did you really see what happens if you install the last version of Windows 10 without cleaning the crap out of it… it’s become totally useless.. Lucky Tiny 10 and tools of the such exist. Windows 10 pro for example install simple firewall and check how many times Windows wants to phone home it’s just as bad as Windows 11 the generosity of the updates is a rotten apple to the core… Not impressed something that used to work great on low ram is requiring specs just as bad as Windows 11.. Literally Crippleware.
Many people simply cannot afford a new PC now that AI has seriously affected hardware costs. This on top of the negative opinions of Windows 11 prior to the rising costs. Personally, I never saw the need for Windows 11 from a user perspective. This was more about Microsoft pushing Co-Pilot and other AI crap Microsoft now realizes many never wanted.