If you're still on Windows 10, you have almost certainly been told you're about to fall off a cliff. Here's the part that didn't make the news: Microsoft quietly moved the deadline. Windows 10 security updates now run through October 12, 2027 — a full extra year — and for most people, getting them costs nothing.
📅 What Actually Happened, In Order
| Date | What Changed |
|---|---|
| October 14, 2025 | Windows 10 reached end of support. No more feature updates, no more routine fixes. |
| October 2025 | Consumer ESU opened, offering security updates only. Originally scheduled to end October 13, 2026. |
| June 2026 | Microsoft extended consumer ESU to October 12, 2027, via a documentation update rather than an announcement. |
| October 12, 2027 | The real end. After this, no security updates for Windows 10 at any price for consumers. |
🔑 How to Enroll — Including the Free Ways
There are three routes, and two of them cost nothing:
- Free — turn on Windows Backup / PC Settings sync. If you sync your settings to a Microsoft account, you qualify at no cost. This is the path most home users should take.
- Free — redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. If you've been accumulating Rewards points, they cover it.
- $30 one-time payment. A single purchase, not a subscription.
To enroll, go to Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update and look for the ESU enrollment prompt. You need to be on Windows 10 version 22H2 and fully patched before the option appears. You can enroll at any point up until the program ends — there is no penalty for signing up late, though there's no reason to wait either.
⚠️ What ESU Does Not Give You
This is where people get caught out. ESU is security patches only. Specifically, you do not get:
- Feature updates or new functionality
- Non-security bug fixes — if something is broken and it isn't a security hole, it stays broken
- Technical support from Microsoft
- Any guarantee that third-party software keeps supporting Windows 10
That last one matters more than people expect. Browsers, antivirus tools, games, and business software all set their own support windows. Some will drop Windows 10 well before Microsoft does.
🏠 So Should You Upgrade to Windows 11?
Honestly? It depends entirely on your hardware, and the answer for a lot of machines is "not yet, and that's fine."
If your PC meets the Windows 11 requirements — roughly an 8th-gen Intel or Ryzen 2000 series or newer, with TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot — there's little reason to stay on 10. Run the PC Health Check tool and it'll tell you in about thirty seconds. Back up first, then upgrade.
If your PC doesn't meet them, you now have breathing room until October 2027. Enroll in ESU, and use the time to plan rather than panic-buy. A few things worth knowing:
- Some machines fail the check only because TPM or Secure Boot is switched off in BIOS, not because the hardware is missing. That's a five-minute fix, and it's worth checking before you write off a perfectly good computer. Our BIOS settings guide covers where those options live.
- There are unofficial methods to force Windows 11 onto unsupported hardware. They work, but Microsoft can withhold updates from those machines, which defeats the point. We don't recommend it for a computer you rely on.
- An SSD and a RAM top-up will make an older machine feel new again far more cheaply than replacing it — though see the note on memory prices below.
🚨 Expect the Scam Calls to Ramp Up
Every Windows deadline produces a wave of fraud, and this one has produced two waves already. What we're seeing locally:
- "Microsoft" calling about your expired Windows. Microsoft does not call you. Ever. Not about updates, not about licences, not about errors on your computer.
- Pop-ups demanding payment to "reactivate" Windows 10 security. Enrollment happens in Windows Settings, never through a web page or a phone call.
- Shops insisting your computer is now "unsafe and unfixable" and must be replaced. An enrolled Windows 10 machine is patched through October 2027. Anyone telling you otherwise either doesn't know or is counting on you not knowing.
If you want the full playbook on spotting this kind of thing, we wrote one: how to spot a computer repair scam.
✅ What To Actually Do This Week
- Check whether you're on Windows 10 22H2 and fully updated.
- Enroll in ESU through Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update. Take the free Windows Backup route if you can.
- Run PC Health Check to find out whether Windows 11 is even an option for your hardware.
- If it isn't, check BIOS for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot before assuming the machine is finished.
- Make a backup. Deadline or not, that's the thing that actually saves you.
📞 If You'd Rather Not Deal With It
We do this all day. We'll check whether your machine qualifies for Windows 11, get you enrolled in ESU, flip the right BIOS settings, and tell you honestly whether the computer is worth keeping — and if it isn't, we'll say so rather than sell you something. Free diagnostics, and no fee if we can't help.
Call us at (803) 477-7499, or send a message. We're in Columbia, SC and serve Lexington, Irmo, Cayce, West Columbia, Chapin, Blythewood, and Elgin.
Sources: Microsoft — Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates, Microsoft Learn — ESU program for Windows 10, BleepingComputer, Tom's Hardware. Last verified August 13, 2026.