Microsoft quietly extended consumer ESU for Windows 10 to October 12, 2027. If your PC still runs Windows 10, you can keep getting critical security updates for another year at no cost — either free by syncing your settings with Windows Backup, by redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or with a one-time $30 purchase. One license covers up to 10 devices on the same Microsoft account. Business PCs face a different deal: Year 2 of commercial ESU jumps to $122 per device after October 13, 2026. Here’s what changed, how to enroll, and what your options really are.
What Changed: The Extension Nobody Announced
Windows 10’s regular support ended on October 14, 2025. After that, home users could sign up for Extended Security Updates (ESU) — a program that keeps sending security fixes to Windows 10 PCs while people decide on their next move.
That program was supposed to end in October 2026. Back in June, Microsoft extended it by another year without any fanfare: the new end date is October 12, 2027 (Microsoft’s current ESU page now lists October 12, 2027 as the end date). There was no press release. Microsoft simply updated its ESU documentation and added an editor’s note to a blog post, so it’s easy to have missed.
This matters right now because the old date is everywhere. Consumer advice pages, older how-to guides, and forum threads still say ESU ends in October 2026 — and some even name October 13 or October 14. Those dates are out of date. If you’re on an enrolled PC, nothing changes for you this month: Microsoft says coverage continues automatically through October 12, 2027, with no action needed, and the October Patch Tuesday updates arrive as usual.
This is still a big deal in scale. StatCounter figures show roughly a quarter of Windows desktops were still running Windows 10 as of October 2026 — that’s hundreds of millions of machines in real numbers. A lot of them work perfectly well, and for those owners this extension is one more year of breathing room.
The Three Ways to Enroll (Yes, Free Is Real)
Consumer ESU is aimed at personal PCs — Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Workstations editions running Windows 10 version 22H2 with the latest updates installed. Your requirements:
- The PC must run Windows 10, version 22H2
- It must be fully up to date with Windows Update
- You must be signed in with a Microsoft account that has administrator rights on the PC (not a child account)
You get the same coverage whichever option you pick. Microsoft’s three enrollment routes:
| Option | What you need | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sync PC settings | Windows Backup turned on with your Microsoft account | Free |
| Microsoft Rewards | 1,000 points | Free (points) |
| One-time purchase | A Microsoft account | $30 plus tax |
A couple of details people keep getting wrong about the free route: you only need to sync your PC settings — you don’t have to back up your Documents folder or anything else. And one ESU license covers up to 10 eligible devices on the same Microsoft account, so a household with several PCs doesn’t pay per machine.
One caution that applies before you decide anything: Microsoft itself warns that devices are more vulnerable before they enroll, because an unenrolled PC hasn’t received updates since October 2025. If you enroll late, the good news is you get every critical and important update released since the end of support — you catch up, not just continue.
How to Enroll on Your PC
The enrollment takes a couple of minutes:
- Make sure you’re signed in with your Microsoft account, and that the account has administrator rights.
- Open Settings and go to Windows Update.
- Look for the Extended Security Updates option or “Enroll now” banner. Eligible PCs show it right in the Windows Update pane.
- Follow the prompt to choose your enrollment method: sync settings via Windows Backup, redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or pay the one-time $30.
- Once enrolled, Windows Update delivers the security fixes the same way it always has.
If the enroll option doesn’t appear, you’re probably missing one of the requirements — check that you’re on version 22H2 (Settings > System > About), run Windows Update until it says you’re fully current, and confirm your account has admin rights.
Work computers are a different story. PCs joined to a company domain, Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in mobile device management (MDM) are excluded from the consumer program, and Microsoft suspends consumer ESU on any device being used commercially. Business PCs need commercial ESU instead — which brings us to pricing.
What ESU Covers — and What It Doesn’t
ESU is a security program, nothing more. It delivers critical and important security updates as classified by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) for Windows 10 version 22H2. That’s it.
It does not include:
- New features or design changes
- Non-security fixes and quality improvements
- General technical support from Microsoft
The only support Microsoft offers is for ESU license activation and installing the ESU updates themselves. Think of ESU as a patch drip that buys you time — it keeps the operating system safer, but it doesn’t turn Windows 10 back into an actively developed platform.
Business PCs: Year 2 Now Costs $122 per Device
Here’s where the two tracks split sharply. The consumer extension is generous. The commercial one is designed to hurt — on purpose.
Commercial ESU is priced to escalate every year so businesses migrate instead of parking on Windows 10:
| Commercial ESU year | Coverage period | Cost per device |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Oct 2025 – Oct 2026 | $61 |
| Year 2 | Oct 2026 – Oct 2027 | $122 |
| Year 3 | Oct 2027 – Oct 2028 | $244 |
Year 2 pricing kicks in right after October 13, 2026. And there’s a catch that stings: commercial ESU is cumulative. A business that skipped Year 1 and buys in during Year 2 can’t just pay $122 — it pays for Year 1 retroactively too, $183 per device. Over the full three years, that’s $427 per device, which is usually more than a new business-class PC.
Small businesses should do honest math here: upgrading an eligible machine to Windows 11 is free, and a new machine is typically cheaper than two or three years of ESU. Commercial ESU makes sense only for a short list of machines — PCs running software with no Windows 11 version yet, or hardware tied to specialized equipment where a new OS means vendor revalidation. If you buy it, treat it as a deadline, not a plan: name each PC, name the reason, and set the date each one gets replaced.
What Happens If You Do Nothing
Nothing dramatic. The PC still boots, browsers still open, programs still run. What changes is silent: every newly discovered Windows vulnerability stays open on that machine permanently. Antivirus helps with malware that tries to run, but it can’t patch holes in Windows itself.
For a PC that’s always online — banking, shopping, email — that’s a real risk, not a theoretical one. Attackers specifically target unpatched systems because the fixes are public: once Microsoft patches a vulnerability, everyone knows exactly where it was. The Pixel 6 hit the same wall this month (what end-of-support means for its owners) — the hardware works fine, the risk is silent. The month after you stop getting updates is precisely when the risk curve steepens.
Your Three Real Options
1. Enroll in consumer ESU and keep your PC. Best if: your PC runs Windows 10 well, you can’t upgrade to Windows 11, and you’d rather not buy new hardware right now. Cost: $0 to $30. This is the smart default for a still-good machine.
2. Upgrade to Windows 11 for free. Best if: your PC qualifies. The requirements are a compatible 64-bit processor (generally Intel 8th gen or newer, or AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer), 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot enabled. Check yours in about a minute: press Win+R, type tpm.msc to verify TPM 2.0 is ready, then open System Information (msinfo32) and check the Secure Boot state. If both check out, the free upgrade path is open — and once you’re on Windows 11, here’s what Microsoft’s Copilot integration looks like inside Word and Excel.
3. Buy a new PC. Best if: your machine is failing, painfully slow, or too old for Windows 11 and past its comfortable lifespan. If you’re shopping, don’t wait for the October 2027 deadline — everyone else will be buying then, and hardware prices have been trending upward. Buying earlier in the year usually beats buying under deadline pressure.
For most home users with a healthy PC that can’t make the Windows 11 jump, the ranking is simple: enroll in ESU now (it’s free), start planning the upgrade or replacement for sometime in 2027, and don’t let the deadline sneak up on you a second time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windows 10 ESU really free?
Yes, for personal PCs. Sync your PC settings through Windows Backup with your Microsoft account and enrollment costs nothing. If you’d rather not sync, you can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or pay a one-time $30 fee. All three options give identical coverage through October 12, 2027.
I already enrolled in ESU last year. Do I need to do anything?
No. Microsoft says coverage continues automatically through October 12, 2027 for everyone already enrolled. Your October security updates will arrive through Windows Update exactly as before.
Does ESU include new features or Windows 11?
No. ESU is security updates only — critical and important fixes as defined by Microsoft’s Security Response Center. No new features, no design changes, no technical support, and it doesn’t upgrade your PC to Windows 11.
Can I enroll more than one PC?
Yes. One ESU license covers up to 10 eligible devices signed in with the same Microsoft account. Enroll each PC while signed in with that account.
Why does the internet still say ESU ends in October 2026?
Because that’s what Microsoft originally announced, and the one-year extension was made quietly in June 2026 by updating documentation rather than publishing a big announcement. Many guides and advice pages simply haven’t been updated.
What about my small business PCs?
Business PCs can’t use the consumer program — domain-joined, Entra-joined, or MDM-managed devices are excluded. Commercial ESU runs $61/$122/$244 per device across its three years (October 2025 through October 2028), and it’s cumulative, so joining late means paying for earlier years too. For most small offices, upgrading eligible machines to Windows 11 or replacing old ones costs less than staying on ESU.