Microsoft has made a pretty significant change for anyone who is still using Windows 10.
Although official support for Windows 10 ended back in October 2025, Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme has allowed users to continue receiving important security updates while they decide whether to upgrade to Windows 11.
Originally, consumer ESU coverage was only expected to continue until October 2026.
However, Microsoft has now extended the programme for another full year, meaning eligible Windows 10 users can continue receiving security updates until 12 October 2027.
That’s a big deal, particularly for the millions of PCs that are still perfectly usable but don’t officially meet Microsoft’s Windows 11 hardware requirements.
🖥️ Windows 10 Support Has Already Ended
Before we get into the extension, it’s worth remembering that standard support for Windows 10 officially ended on 14 October 2025.
That means a normal Windows 10 installation that isn’t enrolled in ESU no longer receives the regular security and reliability updates that it did during its supported lifetime.
Your computer doesn’t suddenly stop working because Windows 10 is unsupported. You can still boot it, use your applications, browse the internet and continue using the operating system.
The problem is security.
As new vulnerabilities are discovered, unsupported Windows installations become increasingly risky because Microsoft is no longer providing normal security patches for them.
That’s where Extended Security Updates come in.
🔐 What Are Windows 10 Extended Security Updates?
Extended Security Updates, or ESU, are designed to give Windows 10 users additional time to move away from the operating system.
If your PC is enrolled in the programme, Microsoft continues providing critical and important security updates through Windows Update.
However, ESU does not mean Windows 10 is fully supported again.
You shouldn’t expect:
- New Windows 10 features
- Major operating system improvements
- New design changes
- Normal non-security feature updates
- Full Microsoft technical support
Essentially, Microsoft is keeping the security side of Windows 10 alive while users transition towards Windows 11 or newer hardware.
📅 Microsoft Has Extended ESU Until October 2027
This is where things get interesting.
Microsoft initially planned for the consumer ESU programme to provide around one additional year of protection following Windows 10’s end of support.
That would have taken users into October 2026.
Microsoft has now extended consumer ESU for another year, with security updates continuing until:
12 October 2027
That gives Windows 10 users considerably more breathing room.
Even better, if you’ve already enrolled your PC into the ESU programme, you don’t need to enrol again. Microsoft says existing enrolments will automatically continue through the new October 2027 end date.
💰 How Much Does Windows 10 ESU Cost?
For consumers, Microsoft provides several ways of enrolling an eligible Windows 10 PC into ESU, although the exact options can vary depending on your region.
Microsoft currently lists options including:
✅ Sync Your Windows Settings
You may be able to receive ESU at no additional cost by signing into your Microsoft account and syncing your PC settings.
For most home users who already use a Microsoft account with Windows 10, this is likely to be the easiest option.
🎁 Use Microsoft Rewards Points
Microsoft also offers the ability to redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points to enrol.
If you regularly use Microsoft Rewards, Bing or other Microsoft services, you may already have enough points available.
💳 Pay for ESU
Alternatively, Microsoft offers a one-time payment option.
The standard price Microsoft has advertised is $30 USD or the equivalent in your local currency, plus applicable taxes.
The important thing is that this isn’t a recurring monthly subscription.
Whichever eligible enrolment option you choose, coverage now runs through October 2027.
💻 Which Windows 10 PCs Are Eligible?
For the consumer ESU programme, your PC needs to be running:
Windows 10 Version 22H2
This was the final major version of Windows 10.
You can check which version you’re running by pressing:
Windows Key + R
Then type:
winver
Press Enter and Windows will show your current version and build number.
If you’re still running an older Windows 10 release, you’ll want to make sure you’re updated to Windows 10 22H2 before trying to enrol.
⚙️ How to Enrol in Windows 10 ESU
Microsoft has built the ESU enrolment process directly into Windows Update.
On an eligible Windows 10 PC, head to:
Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update
You should see an option relating to Extended Security Updates or an Enrol Now button.
Follow the on-screen instructions and sign into your Microsoft account when prompted.
Once your PC has successfully enrolled, Windows Update will continue delivering eligible ESU security updates.
🏠 One ESU Licence Can Cover Multiple PCs
Another useful benefit is that Microsoft allows a consumer ESU licence to be used across multiple eligible computers.
Microsoft currently states that an existing ESU licence can cover up to 10 devices.
That’s particularly useful if you have several older Windows 10 laptops or PCs around the house that aren’t ready to move to Windows 11.
You’ll generally need to use the same Microsoft account that was used for the original ESU enrolment when adding additional PCs.
🤔 Should You Stay on Windows 10 Until 2027?
This extension doesn’t necessarily mean you should deliberately avoid Windows 11 for another year.
If your PC fully supports Windows 11 and you’re happy to upgrade, moving to Microsoft’s currently supported operating system still makes sense.
However, there are plenty of Windows 10 machines that are still more than capable of performing everyday tasks but fall outside Windows 11’s official system requirements.
Microsoft’s requirements surrounding supported processors, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot resulted in a substantial number of otherwise capable PCs being unable to officially upgrade.
For those machines, extending ESU makes a lot of sense.
Instead of users having to replace a perfectly functioning computer simply because Windows 10 security updates are ending, they now have until October 2027 to decide what they want to do.
⚠️ ESU Isn’t a Permanent Solution
There’s one important point to remember.
ESU is designed as a temporary bridge, not a permanent extension of Windows 10.
Microsoft is still encouraging users to eventually:
- Upgrade their existing computer to Windows 11
- Purchase a newer Windows 11 PC
- Move to another supported operating system
When ESU eventually ends, consumer Windows 10 PCs will once again be left without regular Microsoft security fixes.
So while October 2027 might sound a long way away, it’s worth thinking about what you’re going to do with your Windows 10 machines before that deadline arrives.
🎉 This Is Great News for Windows 10 Users
Overall, I think Microsoft’s decision to extend Windows 10 Extended Security Updates is great news.
There are still huge numbers of Windows 10 PCs in use, and many of them are perfectly capable machines.
Giving consumers another year of security updates means there is significantly less pressure to immediately replace hardware simply because Windows 10 has reached the end of its normal support lifecycle.
If you’ve already enrolled in ESU, there’s nothing you need to do — your coverage should automatically continue through 12 October 2027.
And if you haven’t enrolled yet but you’re planning to keep using Windows 10, now would be a very good time to look into it.
🎥 Watch the Video
I’ve also covered the Windows 10 ESU extension in my latest Matthew’s Techhub video, where I go through the changes and what they mean for Windows 10 users.
Windows 10: ESU Program now extended until October 2027!
If you’re still running Windows 10, are you happy Microsoft has extended the programme for another year, or have you already moved over to Windows 11?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
And as always, make sure you subscribe to Matthew’s Techhub for more Windows news, tutorials, updates and tech content.
