Last year, Microsoft announced that it would charge users $30 per year for additional security updates for Windows 10. Now it is allowing users to subscribe to Extended Security Updates (ESU) for free until the end of Windows 10 support on October 14. But there is one caveat.
Users will have three options for getting ESU on their Windows 10 PCs, and the free option involves enabling Windows Backup to synchronize your settings and folders with the cloud. Windows Backup uses OneDrive, so while you can limit yourself to 5GB of free space, if you have a lot of files stored locally in your Documents folder, you’ll need to purchase additional space for Windows Backup to work properly. That’s the catch with the free extended storage upgrades in Windows 10.
The other two options for getting ESUs in Windows 10 involve paying $30 for a year of updates or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Reward points. In July, Microsoft will add an enrollment wizard to Windows 10 that will have these three options. “Once you select an option and follow the on-screen steps, your PC will be automatically registered,” said Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and general manager of consumer marketing at Microsoft.
Consumers will only receive enhanced security updates for Windows 10 until October 13, 2026, but businesses have the option to purchase important security updates for up to three years. Microsoft is also making ESU free for Windows 10 devices that access Windows 11 cloud computers via Windows 365 and virtual machines.
Microsoft really wants people to stop using Windows 10, and has already called 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC upgrade.” At the end of last year, Windows 11 became the most popular OS for PC gaming, but 37% of Steam users are still using Windows 10. Microsoft only has a few months left to convince Windows 10 users to upgrade or change their computer, so I expect to see more full-screen prompts notifying users when support ends.
