If you are using Windows 10, it probably has not escaped from your attention that the operating system is reaching its end of life today. In other words, the October update, which is rolling out today, is the last rate of the official support of Microsoft to this last generation us. In the future, no more updates will be delivered to Windows 10.
That’s not quite true -if you don’t take anything, you won’t get any more updates, but what you can do is sign up for Windows 10’s extended security updates (ESU) scheme that allows a Windows 10 -PC to receive updates for a further year (through until October 2026).
It is a lifeline for consumers that Microsoft has never offered before – only companies have received extended support when Windows operating systems have been sidelined in the past – and you can also get it for free, albeit with a small catch.
But how exactly do you sign up for ESU? And the warning to get it for free, namely that you have to sync your PC settings for OneDrive – how does it work? Whatever your source of amazement in this article, I will show you the exact steps you need to take to sign up for ESU.
Fortunately, there is nothing particularly difficult to get involved, but it is convenient to know where to go and what to do with regard to this synchronization requirement. Let’s review the process step by step.
1. Log in with a Microsoft account
First of all, make sure you are signed up for a Microsoft account with your copy of Windows 10. If you are running a local account in Windows 10, you cannot sign up for extended updates.
If you do not have a Microsoft account, create one and then switch to it in Windows 10 before continuing. You can switch to a Microsoft account in Settings> Accounts> Your Info Where there is the option of logging in with one, rather than the local account you are using.
For those who think they can just use a ‘Throwaway’ Microsoft account and switch back to their local account in Windows 10 when in the ESU program, that’s not the case. Be warned that Microsoft will make continuous checks to see if you are using a Microsoft account in the free support year.
2. Open Windows -Update and Click the ESU offer
Open the Windows Update panel in Windows 10 Windows Update In the search box on the taskbar and click ‘Check for updates’ (you want to see the setting appear at the top of the search panel before you are even finished writing).
In Windows Update, click ‘Sign Up Now’, which you will find just below the Selected ‘Check for Updates’ button in the box entitled ‘Windows 10 Support ends in October 2025’.
3. Choose to sign up for ESU
You will see a panel on registration in extended security updates to stay protected, click ‘Next’.
4. Sync of your PC settings if necessary
If you have already backed up your Windows settings, you will see the above panel that informs you of this and that you are eligible to have extended updates for “no extra cost”. All that is left to do is click on the ‘Sign Up’ button, but you may want to look at Microsoft’s terms of use (TOU) and confidentiality declaration by first clicking on the respective links. You are sorted for extended updates for another year.
But if you have not backed up your PC settings and synchronized them to OneDrive (Microsoft’s Sky Storage), you will instead see an opportunity to do this – simply select it and click ‘Next’ and choose to ‘Sign Up’. Remember, you only sync your Windows 10 settings, not any of your personal files, folders or apps.
If you do not want to sync anything, you can choose to pay $ 30 or spend 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points by choosing one of these options instead.
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