Good news for users who remain attached to their computers with Windows 10 and they have no interest in moving to Windows 11. Microsoft has decided, without officially announcing it, extend the ESU program for another yearacronym for Extended Security Updates, which has been the lifeline for users since the company officially ended support for the operating system in October 2025, until October 12, 2027.
This means that, although Windows 10 will not receive new features or other new features, yes you will receive security updates that protect you against the multiple threats that a computer can face when accessing the Internet or being the target of a cyber attack.
The news has broken due to an update to the official Windows support page that now warns that ‘support for Windows 10 has ended. You can enroll in ESU at any time until the program ends on October 12, 2027. If you are already enrolled, your coverage will automatically continue until that date; you don’t need to do anything’.
Enrolling in the ESU, at first, was a bit complicated. Microsoft required you to pay $30 or spend 1,000 points. Microsoft Rewardsa loyalty program that gives points for performing actions such as using the search engine bingor back up your computer to the OneDrive associated with the user’s Microsoft account. But the company changed its approach in the European Union due to pressure from the international consumer protection association. Euroconsumers already Digital Markets Lawmaking things much easier.
For a private user to benefit from the ESU, they only have to access Configuration > Update and security > Windows Update and use the registration option when it appears. With this action, your computer will continue to receive security updates until October 2027.
Why has Microsoft decided to extend support for Windows 10? When official support ended and the ESU came into force, Windows 11’s market share barely exceeded that of Windows 10. Now, according to data from Statista, Windows 10 still works in around 26% of PCs, while Windows 11 reaches 72%. However, storage and memory shortages caused by AI have made hardware upgrades very expensive, which may further slow down many users’ jump to Microsoft’s latest operating system.