Can’t quit Windows 10? Here’s how to keep getting security updates after October 2025

July 9, 2025 TH Author

On the page that announced details of the ESU program for commercial customers, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote that details and prices for consumers “will be shared at a later date” on the company’s consumer end-of-support page. Six months later, the company finally revealed that consumers would be able to sign up for a one-year ESU subscription for $30.

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And if that $30 price tag is too much, the company announced two “free enrollment options” in June. You can enroll a Windows 10 PC for ESU coverage by using Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud, or you can use 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points (worth less than $1), which you accumulate by using Bing search services. For details, see “How to get Windows 10 extended security updates for free: 2 options.”)

The deal comes with two significant restrictions.

First, it’s available only for “personal use,” a move that’s obviously designed to discourage business customers from trying to get security updates at a discount. Second, the subscription can’t be renewed after that first year. On Oct. 13, 2026, security updates will stop for good on those consumer PCs.

Still, the fact that Microsoft is even offering a consumer option is noteworthy. The Windows 7 ESU program was messy. It was not exactly friendly to small businesses, and there was no option at all for consumers. The difference, of course, is that those customers had a straightforward option to upgrade their Windows 7 PCs to the successor OS, Windows 10, at no cost.

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Microsoft says the enrollment wizard will start rolling out for consumers in July and should be available to all Windows 10 PCs by the end of August.