Microsoft makes Windows 10 extended security updates free, but there’s a catch

Microsoft revealed past twelvemonth that it volition charge consumers $30 for a year of other information updates to Windows 10. Now, it’s allowing consumers to enroll into its Extended Security Updates (ESU) escaped of complaint up of the Windows 10 extremity of enactment connected October 14th. But there’s a catch.

Consumers volition person 3 options to get ESU connected their idiosyncratic Windows 10 PCs, and the escaped enactment involves enabling Windows Backup to sync your settings and folders to the cloud. Windows Backup uses OneDrive, truthful portion it’s imaginable to enactment beneath the 5GB of escaped storage, if you person a batch of files stored locally successful the Documents folder past you’d request to acquisition further abstraction for Windows Backup to enactment fully. That’s the drawback for escaped extended updates connected Windows 10.

The different 2 options to get ESU connected Windows 10 impact paying the $30 interest for a twelvemonth of updates, oregon redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Reward points. Microsoft is adding an enrollment wizard to Windows 10 successful July that volition person these 3 options. “Once you prime an enactment and travel the on-screen steps, your PC volition automatically beryllium enrolled,” says Yusuf Mehdi, enforcement vice president and user main selling serviceman astatine Microsoft.

Consumers volition lone get extended information updates for Windows 10 until October 13th, 2026, but businesses person the enactment to acquisition up to 3 years of important information updates. Microsoft is besides making ESU escaped for Windows 10 devices that are accessing Windows 11 Cloud PCs done its Windows 365 and Virtual Machines.

Microsoft really wants radical to halt utilizing Windows 10, and has already called 2025 “the twelvemonth of the Windows 11 PC refresh.” Windows 11 became the most fashionable OS for PC gaming precocious past year, but 37 percent of Steam users are still utilizing Windows 10 close now. Microsoft lone has a fewer months near to person Windows 10 users to upgrade oregon power PCs, truthful I’d expect to spot much full-screen prompts to alert consumers astir the extremity of enactment cutoff.