Windows 10 support is set to end on October 14, 2025, but most of you won’t lose support after the deadline. To extend support until October 13, 2026, Microsoft says you just need to sign in with a Microsoft account and then sync Settings to OneDrive. It’s free, and I got early access to the “free upgrade” enrollment feature by joining the Insider Program.
In our tests, it just takes a few seconds to extend support. You’ll see the “Enroll now” button on the right side of the Windows Update. On some installations, it also appears below the Check for updates button.
I assume Microsoft is A/B testing the toggle, but once you click the “Enroll now” button, it opens a pop-up window titled “Enroll in Extended Security Updates.” The pop-up says it’ll help you extend security updates support beyond October 14, 2025, when Windows 10 support ends.
ESU is a wizard-based process, and it’ll automatically check whether you meet the requirements after you click Next. Don’t confuse this requirement with those of Windows 11.
You don’t need to meet Windows 11 requirements to be eligible for Extended Security updates. Microsoft says you need to meet one of the three requirements:
- Link your local PC to a Microsoft account.
- Own a Microsoft Rewards account with 1,000 points. This lets you skip the MS account requirement.
- Pay $30 to keep using Windows 10 safely with a local account.
If you haven’t linked a Microsoft account, you’ll see an alert prompting you to do so, or you can choose to visit the Microsoft Rewards page. If neither of those options works, you can pay $30 to extend support. Right now, we are unable to pay $30 for ESU that works with local accounts.
When you meet one of the requirements, you’ll see a success screen, as shown in the screenshot below:
In our tests, Windows Latest observed that your Extended Security Updates license is linked to a Microsoft account.
You can’t use the license to activate your other devices, but when you own multiple PCs, you can have multiple Extended Security Updates licenses linked to the same Microsoft account. You also need to have the “base” license, either a Windows 10 installation pre-activated to use ESU.
What caught my attention was the lack of mention of October 13, 2026. This is the date when the “Extended Security Updates” program for Windows 10 will end. Microsoft is hoping that most users would make the final call, drop Windows 10, and move over to Windows 11, but I doubt that’s going to happen unless there’s a compelling reason.
Right now, this enrollment feature works only in the Windows Insider Program. It doesn’t matter whether the PC is in Beta or Release Preview Ring. You just need to be part of the Windows Insider Program to test the feature.
You don’t have to join the program for the “Enroll now” button, as Microsoft says it will roll out the feature to everyone in the coming weeks.
The post First look at “Stay on Windows 10 for free” ESU tool after October 14 appeared first on Windows Latest
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