Microsoft just handed Windows 10 holdouts a quiet reprieve: the free Windows 10 ESU program, once set to expire this October, now runs through October 12, 2027. ESU stands for Extended Security Updates, and it is the lifeline that keeps a Windows 10 machine getting critical patches after the operating system officially retired on October 14, 2025. The extension went live on June 25, 2026, tucked into a documentation update with no launch event and no fanfare.
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That matters because roughly 28% of desktop Windows PCs were still running Windows 10 as of June 2026, according to StatCounter. If yours is one of them, you now have a real decision to make instead of a scramble: enroll for another year of patches, upgrade to Windows 11 for free if your hardware qualifies, or budget for a new PC. Each path carries a different price, and one of them costs nothing.
Here is what the extension actually changes, what it costs at home versus at work, and how to pick the path that fits your machine.
Table of Contents
- What Microsoft Quietly Changed
- What Windows 10 ESU Actually Costs
- How to Actually Enroll
- The Business Version Is a Different Story
- Windows 10 ESU or Windows 11: Which Path
- What ESU Protects and What It Ignores
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Short Version
What Microsoft Quietly Changed
The original deal gave consumers exactly one bonus year. When Windows 10 hit end of support in October 2025, Microsoft offered a single extra year of security updates that would have run out in October 2026. Late in June that window doubled. Enrolled machines now stay patched through October 12, 2027, and you can still sign up right until the program closes.
Nothing else about the mechanics changed. This is still security-only coverage for Windows 10 version 22H2, and it still does not include new features or phone support. What moved is the clock, and the clock is the whole point when you are trying to time a hardware purchase in the middle of a memory and storage price surge. A free extra year is a free extra year to let component prices calm down.
What Windows 10 ESU Actually Costs
For a home user, Windows 10 ESU is close to free. Per Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates page, you get three enrollment routes: turn on Windows Backup to sync your settings to a Microsoft account and pay nothing, redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or hand over a one-time CA$42 (US$30). Users in the European Economic Area get it free simply by signing in with a Microsoft account.
One license covers up to 10 devices. A household running several older laptops can patch all of them on a single CA$42 (US$30) payment, or for nothing at all through the sync route. The only string attached to the free path is that it ties enrollment to a Microsoft account rather than a local one. For most people that is a shrug; if you have deliberately kept a local account, the CA$42 (US$30) buys you out of the requirement. Either way, this is the cheapest year of security you will ever buy for a PC you already own.
How to Actually Enroll
Enrollment lives inside Windows Update, not some separate portal. Open Settings, go to Windows Update, and if your PC is on version 22H2 and fully patched you will see an “Enroll now” link near the top. The wizard walks you through the three options, you pick one, and the machine starts pulling ESU patches on its next update cycle.
Two things trip people up. You need to be on version 22H2 specifically, so run Windows Update first if you have fallen behind, and you have to sign in with a Microsoft account to finish enrollment even if you plan to pay the CA$42 (US$30). Once you are in, updates arrive through the same Windows Update channel you already use, with nothing new to babysit.
The Business Version Is a Different Story
Companies do not get the CA$42 (US$30) deal. Windows 10 ESU for organizations runs through volume licensing at CA$85 (US$61) per device for the first year, and the price doubles every year after that: CA$171 (US$122) in year two, CA$342 (US$244) in year three. The escalation is deliberate. Microsoft built the ladder to make each year on Windows 10 hurt a little more than moving off it.
It gets worse if you drag your feet, because you cannot buy a single year in isolation. Join in year two and you still owe year one, so a device kept on Windows 10 for the full stretch runs CA$598 (US$427) in total. For a 50-seat office that is more than CA$29,429 (US$21,000) to keep aging machines alive, which is exactly the math Microsoft wants an IT manager to run before signing off on a delay.
Windows 10 ESU or Windows 11: Which Path
Check the free upgrade first. If your PC meets the Windows 11 requirements, moving up costs nothing and pushes your security coverage to 2031 instead of 2027. The gates that stop people are TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, both of which Microsoft lists as mandatory, alongside a modest 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Plenty of machines from 2018 onward already have the TPM chip sitting disabled in the BIOS, and switching it on is a five-minute settings change rather than a hardware problem.
If your PC fails the check, that is when Windows 10 ESU earns its keep. Buying a new machine right now costs more than it should, because the same shortage lifting RAM and SSD prices has crept into finished laptops. Paying CA$42 (US$30) to sit tight through 2027 is a rational way to wait out a bad buying window, especially if the PC still does its job. The one move I would avoid is ignoring the deadline and running an unpatched daily driver, which turns a CA$42 (US$30) problem into a security one.
What ESU Protects and What It Ignores
Buying into Windows 10 ESU is buying a narrow thing. You get critical and important security updates as rated by Microsoft’s Security Response Center, and that is the whole package. No feature updates, no fixes for non-security bugs, no new versions of anything, and no technical support when something breaks.
Everything sitting on top of Windows keeps aging on its own schedule too. Microsoft 365 apps, browsers, and third-party software each have their own support timelines, and an ESU-patched Windows 10 box will slowly drift out of step with them. ESU keeps the operating system itself from becoming a liability. It does not freeze your whole setup in place, and it is not a reason to stop planning the eventual move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windows 10 ESU really free for home users?
Yes, through one of two routes. Syncing your Windows settings to a Microsoft account enrolls you at no cost, as does redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. The CA$42 (US$30) one-time fee only applies if you want to skip those and keep a local account, and even then it covers up to 10 devices.
What happens if I do nothing after October 2027?
Your Windows 10 PC keeps working, but it stops getting security patches for good. Newly discovered vulnerabilities go unfixed, which makes the machine a bigger target over time. That is fine for an offline PC that never touches the internet; it is a real risk for your everyday computer.
Can I upgrade to Windows 11 for free instead?
If your hardware qualifies, yes. Microsoft still offers the in-place upgrade at no charge for eligible Windows 10 machines, and it stretches your security coverage to 2031. Check for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot first, since those two requirements are what disqualify most older PCs.
Does Windows 10 ESU cover my work laptop?
Not under the consumer program. Business machines enroll through volume licensing at CA$85 (US$61) per device in year one, climbing to CA$171 (US$122) and then CA$342 (US$244). If your employer owns the laptop, that call sits with their IT department, not with you.
The Short Version
Microsoft gave Windows 10 an extra year, and at home it barely costs anything. Enroll in Windows 10 ESU through the free sync route or the one-time CA$42 (US$30) fee, and your machine stays patched through October 12, 2027. If your PC can take Windows 11, do that instead, because the upgrade is free and buys you four more years. The only wrong move is doing nothing and running an unpatched PC into 2028. For businesses the math is harsher by design, climbing from CA$85 (US$61) to CA$342 (US$244) per device, which is Microsoft’s none-too-subtle way of saying the clock is real.