Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for an extra year

Post Reply New Topic

Microsoft has announced – very quietly – that the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program is being lengthened by an entire year.

The unexpected extension means that people who have decided to keep running Windows 10 on their home computers can expect to receive free updates all the way up until October 12, 2027.

While Microsoft has not made a great fanfare about the extension, the news is confirmed in a couple of places. In the Windows 10 ESU documentation changes have been made to text so it now reads: “Both enrollment options provide extended security updates through October 12, 2027. You can enroll in ESU any time until the program ends on October 12, 2027”.

Another message added to a Windows Blog post from a year ago reads:

Editor’s note – June 25, 2026 – This post has been updated to reflect that the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for personal use devices is being provided for an additional year, with coverage now available through Oct. 12, 2027. This extension provides customers with more time to transition to a new Windows 11 PC while continuing to receive critical security updates.

With no official announcement in the form of a new blog post or press release, it is hard to know what has motivated Microsoft to make this extension – and why it did so so quietly.