It probably hasn’t gotten away from your attention, as Windows 10 support expires on October 14, 2025. Considering that there is a precious time left before those who remain on the operating system without taking anyone will be left without security updates. These programs are important protection for your system and without them a non -supported version of Windows is open to new vulnerabilities and potentially being compromised.
If you want to stick to Windows 10 – maybe you don’t like Windows 11 or your PC is not able to run it – then there are actually a few options for getting extra support for an extra year. This will lead you through to October 2026, giving you more respiratory room to decide the next step for your Windows 10 -PC.
These settings can be obtained through the program Extended Security Updates (ESU), which Microsoft revealed late last year, which is offered consumers for the first time. (In the past, this scheme was only for businesses.)
You have three choices – one of which is completely free, though it has a small catch – so let’s go over them next before we address the question of how to actually sign up for the ESU scheme (which causes confusion for some people).
ESU Option 1: Free Updates Via Sync of PC Settings
This is the route I take and I imagine it will be the preferred opportunity for many Windows 10 users. This way you don’t have to pay anything at all for the extra support year: Microsoft just asks you to sync your PC settings to OneDrive (via the Windows Backup app).
Note that you do not need to back up all your PC’s data, only the settings. I have seen some confusion about this online, with people who are not eager to ‘give Microsoft all their data’ – you don’t, be sure. However, you need to share your PC settings and you must of course sign up for a Microsoft account.
ESU Option 2: Use Microsoft Rewards
If you have accumulated Microsoft Rewards points that are accrued by using Bing or other Microsoft services or using in the Microsoft store, you can use these to pay for the ESU scheme. It costs you 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
ESU Option 3: Pay $ 30
If you do not have Microsoft Rewards points and definitely refuse to sync something with Microsoft, the only remaining opportunity is to pay for the extra extended support. It costs $ 30 or equivalent in your local currency. Note that even if you pay for extended support, you still need a Microsoft account.
I don’t see the ESU scheme everywhere – how do I sign up?
To sign up for the ESU program, click a link in the Windows Update panel. Just search for ‘Windows Update’ in the search box (or settings) and when in the panel, you may see an opportunity to ‘sign up now’ for extended security updates on the right side of the screen.
Note that I said that you power See it, because here is the thing: Microsoft has only started rolling out of this opportunity right now. As Microsoft recently managed, it’s a slow rolling, which means many people can’t see it yet, even included (at the time of writing). However, be sure it will come; You just have to be patient.
Microsoft has promised that Wizard with ESU registration will appear on all Windows 10 PCs before the support deadline expires in mid-October. So most likely you see it on your PC in September at some point (possibly after the month’s update). Just keep checking back in Windows Update and it eventually shows up, or it should do to prevent any wonding or bugginess from Microsoft (which can never ever be excluded).
Whatever you do – don’t do anything
Make sure you know what you will do to get extended updates and continue to check back to sign up for the ESU program. Whatever you do, don’t just stay on Windows 10 after October 2025 without any updates delivered, because when time is ticking, you are increasingly running a greater risk. The more months passing by, the more security holes that can be revealed and remain unprecedented, the door may open for your Windows 10 PC to be hacked in some way.
If you do not get extended updates to Windows 10 sorted, or do not like any of the settings and do not want to upgrade to Windows 11, look at moving to another platform. A Windows-like taste of Linux may be your best effort.
