Microsoft's Free Windows 10 Security Updates Come With a Key Condition

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December 27, 2025

JoeGarcía

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# News # Tech # Windows

Microsoft announced last year that it would charge $30 for one year of additional security updates for Windows 10. Now, the company is allowing users to enroll in its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for free ahead of Windows 10’s end-of-support date on October 14th. However, there is a condition.

Users have three ways to get ESU on their personal Windows 10 devices. The free option requires enabling Windows Backup to sync settings and folders to the cloud. Since Windows Backup uses OneDrive, you can manage within the 5GB of free storage—but if you have numerous files in your Documents folder, you may need to buy extra space for full functionality. This is the trade-off for receiving free extended updates on Windows 10.

The other two ESU options for Windows 10 include paying the $30 fee for a year of updates or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Reward points. In July, Microsoft is introducing an enrollment wizard to Windows 10 with these three choices. “Once you choose an option and follow the on-screen steps, your PC will be enrolled automatically,” explains Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft.

How consumers will enroll into Windows 10 extended security updates.

Image: Microsoft

Extended security updates for Windows 10 will only be available to consumers until October 13th, 2026. Businesses, on the other hand, can purchase up to three years of critical security updates. Microsoft is also providing ESU at no cost for Windows 10 devices that access Windows 11 Cloud PCs via Windows 365 or Virtual Machines.

Microsoft is strongly encouraging users to move away from Windows 10 and has named 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh.” Windows 11 became the leading operating system for PC gaming late last year. Still, 37 percent of Steam users continue to run Windows 10. With only a few months remaining to persuade Windows 10 users to upgrade or purchase new PCs, we can expect to see more full-screen alerts notifying customers about the upcoming support deadline.

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