Windows 10 Extended Security Updates, Now Through 2027

The consumer program now runs to October 12, 2027.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Since then Microsoft no longer provides regular software updates, security fixes, or technical assistance for it. The consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program is the exception: it delivers critical and important security updates, as Microsoft’s Security Response Center defines them, to enrolled PCs running Windows 10, version 22H2. Microsoft’s support page now says the program ends on October 12, 2027, that you can enroll at any time until then, and that if you are already enrolled your coverage continues automatically through that date with no action needed.

Version 22H2, current updates, and an administrator Microsoft account.

Microsoft lists the prerequisites:

• Windows 10, version 22H2, in the Home, Pro, Pro Education, or Workstations edition;
• the latest Windows update installed, including the ESU Licensing Preparation Package, KB5126256;
• a Microsoft account that is an administrator on the PC, and not a child account.

The consumer program is not offered for PCs in kiosk mode, joined to an Active Directory domain or Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in mobile device management, though Entra-registered PCs can use it. Work devices go through the commercial program instead.

Three ways to pay, one of them free.

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. If the PC meets the prerequisites, an Enroll now link appears. If you sign in to Windows with a local account, you will be asked to sign in with a Microsoft account; the ESU license is tied to that account. Microsoft offers three ways to enroll:

• at no additional cost if you are syncing your PC settings;
• by redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points;
• by a one-time purchase of $30, or the local equivalent, plus tax.

One license can be used on up to 10 devices: on each one, open Windows Update, select Enroll now, and choose Add device with the same Microsoft account.

Security fixes only.

ESU is a security patch stream. Microsoft says it does not provide other fixes, feature improvements, or product enhancements, and does not come with technical support. A PC is more vulnerable to viruses and malware for as long as it goes without enrolling, so a PC that is still online should either enroll or move to Windows 11. Updates arrive through Windows Update as they are released. Keep the router and other devices on the network patched too; see how to secure a home router.

Windows 11 is free on eligible hardware.

Microsoft says a PC that meets the minimum requirements should see an option in Windows Update to upgrade to Windows 11 for free, and that enrolling in ESU does not prevent upgrading later. Before any upgrade, back up. Microsoft points Windows 10 users to Windows Backup, which saves documents, photos, settings, and apps to OneDrive; an independent copy on an external drive is still worth having, as the 3-2-1 backup rule explains.

ESU buys time, not a permanent fix.

After October 12, 2027, enrolled Windows 10 PCs stop receiving security updates as well. If the PC cannot run Windows 11, Microsoft’s suggestion is a new PC; the extra year is the window to choose one, move files, and retire the old machine properly. If the old PC is slow in the meantime, the slow computer checklist separates software problems from a failing drive.