Free for most people · 5 minutes
Keep your PC and keep getting security updates
Windows 10’s Extended Security Updates programme runs to 12 October 2027. For most home users it costs nothing. This is the whole process, including the bits that trip people up — and why you should never pay a reseller for it.
Windows 10’s free support ended on 14 October 2025. Every month since then, security fixes have gone only to enrolled machines. This isn’t a future problem — it’s the current state of any un-enrolled Windows 10 PC. Enrolling is the single highest-value thing you can do today, and for most people it’s free.
Not sure whether this PC qualifies at all? The 60-second eligibility check will tell you — including the cheapest route for your region and the fix if something's in the way.
Enrolling, step by step
- Check you’re on version 22H2. Press Windows+R, type
winver, press Enter. 22H2 is the only eligible version — if you’re on something older, install your pending Windows updates first. - Make sure you’re signed in with a Microsoft account that has administrator rights. This is the step that catches people out: local accounts cannot enrol, even if you’re willing to pay. There’s no way around it.
- Open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update. Look for the Extended Security Updates enrolment link. If it isn’t there, make sure Windows is fully updated first.
- Pick a free route. Either sync your PC settings via Windows Backup, or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Only pay the $30 if neither works for you.
- Confirm it worked. Windows Update should now report that the device is enrolled. If you have other Windows 10 machines, the same licence covers up to 10 devices on that account.
The three routes, compared
| Route | What’s involved | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sync PC settings | Turn on Windows Backup for settings. You do not have to back up documents or photos — this is widely misreported. | Free |
| Microsoft Rewards | Redeem 1,000 Rewards points. If you use Bing or Microsoft services at all you may already have them. | Free |
| One-time payment | Straightforward purchase, no settings sync required. | $30 + tax |
Third-party sellers list “Windows 10 ESU Year 1” at around $61. Microsoft gives it away free via settings sync or Rewards points, and charges $30 at most. These resellers are selling confusion. There is no product they can offer you that Microsoft doesn’t offer more cheaply, directly.
If you’re in Europe — and the UK catch
After pressure from the consumer group Euroconsumers, Microsoft made ESU free in the European Economic Area with no Windows Backup requirement — you just sign in with a Microsoft account.
The EEA is the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Since Brexit the UK is not included, so UK users fall under the standard worldwide terms: free via settings sync or Rewards points, or $30. This catches a lot of people out, and plenty of articles get it wrong.
What ESU actually gives you — and what it doesn’t
What you get
Until 12 October 2027- Critical and Important security updates
- Delivered through normal Windows Update
- Coverage for up to 10 devices per account
- Automatic rollover — the 2027 extension was applied without users doing anything
What you don’t
Security only- No technical support (beyond help with ESU itself)
- No feature updates
- No non-security bug fixes or performance improvements
- Not even Moderate or Low severity security fixes
Staying safe on Windows 10 beyond the patches
ESU covers the operating system. A few other things matter if you’re staying put for another year or two:
- Your browser is covered longer than Windows is. Microsoft Edge and WebView2 get security updates on Windows 10 until October 2028 — a year past the OS. Firefox has also committed to continuing Windows 10 support.
- Microsoft 365 apps get security updates until 10 October 2028, though feature updates stop at version 2608.
- Keep everything else updated — the browser is where most real-world risk arrives, and it’s the best-supported part of your setup.
- Have a backup. True regardless of operating system, but especially worth it on a machine you intend to run past its support window.
Is your PC worth keeping?
If the machine feels slow, that’s usually not age — it’s almost always the drive. A mechanical hard disk is the single biggest bottleneck in an otherwise fine computer, and replacing it transforms how the machine feels.
The two upgrades worth making on a PC you’re keeping: a SATA SSD if you’re still on a spinning hard drive (still the single biggest improvement available — though be warned, the memory-chip shortage has pushed prices well above the old £40 folklore; our honest 2026 guide has the current reality), and more RAM if you have 4GB and keep many browser tabs open — also pricier than it was, sadly.
We may earn a commission on these links. We only suggest upgrades that keep your existing PC useful for longer — you’ll notice we don’t link to replacement computers.
And after October 2027?
Consumer ESU is scheduled to end then, and Microsoft has given no indication of a third extension for home users. That said — they’ve already moved this date twice, so treat it as the current plan rather than a certainty. We re-check monthly and will update this page the day it changes.
You have well over a year. Use it to decide properly: work out which path fits you, or read the honest versions of the Linux and Mac options — both of which include a clear section on who shouldn’t take them.
Microsoft has moved the Windows 10 deadline twice already. We re-check it monthly. Leave your email and if it moves again — or anything else in these guides stops being true — we’ll send one short note saying what changed. Nothing else, ever.
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