Microsoft extends Windows 10 support out of the blue – consumers now get updates for another year until October 2027

Windows 10 will get extended support until October 2027
That’s an extra year on top of the original deadline, though Microsoft didn’t formally announce the extension
It gives those who were worried about what to do with their Windows 10 PC (especially if it wasn’t compatible with Windows 11) some welcome breathing room

Microsoft has given consumers another year of extended support for Windows 10 without any formal announcement about this move.

Windows Latest discovered that Microsoft changed its information about Windows 10’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) schedule to indicate that support now runs until next October.

The deadline section now reads: “Windows 10 support has ended. You can enroll in ESU at any time until the program ends on October 12, 2027. If you’re already enrolled, your coverage will automatically continue through that date – no action required.”

Analysis: a commendable move by Microsoft – but a lackluster response

Young woman using laptop looking annoyed

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I’m still running Windows 10 on my primary PC (Windows 11 is on my secondary PC) and I was about to start the upgrade most likely next month, or maybe August – but soon anyway. This gives me, and no doubt plenty of others, some extra breathing room. A lot of it, in fact, which is very welcome.

I can still upgrade to Windows 11 this year, but given my procrastinating ways, I might as well wait until next year now. Especially since Microsoft is busy fixing Windows 11 in every possible way at the moment, so it makes sense to wait until all that work is done anyway.

It is clearly a positive move for consumers and I am happy to see it. I’ve argued before that one year of extended support wasn’t enough — given that the hardware requirements preclude many PCs from upgrading to Windows 11 — and that Microsoft should give consumers a second year. (Especially given all the e-waste issues previously raised around Windows 10’s end of the line).

With the second year now confirmed, I’m rather surprised that Microsoft doesn’t seem to have announced this anywhere, and just made the change to its website info quietly in the background.

Maybe the idea is to keep it down-low, so as not to delay any impending upgrades? Anyway, much of the reaction to this decision has been pretty muted. One of the most excited comments on this Reddit thread is, “So they’re finally admitting that Windows 11 isn’t good enough almost 5 years later?”

You don’t have to look far to find other blunt comments like, “The moment support ends, I’m going with Linux.”

Some people have also taken the line that it is not a surprise to see Microsoft extend support, and indeed that it always does this. And yes, this applies to companies where the company may support an outgoing Windows version for several years. But this isn’t it the case for consumers; remember Windows 10 is the first time Microsoft has ever offered extended support outside of business.

As a reminder, support is free (as long as you’re willing to sync your PC settings to OneDrive, which isn’t that big of a deal, at least not in my opinion), or you can pay $30. If you’ve already signed up, there’s no extra cost for the second year that you might be hoping for.

As observed by a Redditor above, it’s been nearly five years since Windows 11 launched — and the operating system was formally announced half a decade ago this week, in fact. I just wrote about it at length and how I’m more optimistic about the future of Windows 11 at this point than I’ve ever been. Still, as mentioned, I won’t rush to upgrade yet on my primary computer, but I will pull the trigger on that update eventually.

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