Windows 10 Updates Extended to Oct 2027: What to Do Now

Updated October 2026. Dates and prices checked against Microsoft's own ESU page, the Windows 10 lifecycle page, Microsoft Support and the Microsoft Store on 22 October 2026.

Short answer: Windows 10 itself is still out of support (that happened on 14 October 2025), but Microsoft has stretched the free consumer Extended Security Updates program by a year. If your home PC is enrolled in ESU, it keeps getting security patches until 12 October 2027. You don't have to do anything if you're already enrolled. If you never enrolled, you can still do it now.

So the deadline moved, the problem didn't. Below is what actually changed, what ESU costs, and the order I'd tackle things in if I still had a Windows 10 machine at home.

Jump to:

• What Microsoft actually extended
• What ESU costs
• The steps, in order
• Buying a new PC or a Windows 11 licence
• My take
• FAQ

Windows 10 support extended? What Microsoft actually changed

This is where a lot of headlines got sloppy. Microsoft did not bring Windows 10 back. The lifecycle page for Windows 10 Home and Pro still lists 14 October 2025 as the retirement date, and version 22H2 is the last version there will ever be. No new features, no regular bug fixes, no technical support.

What changed is the consumer ESU program. When it launched, it covered personal PCs for one year after end of support. On 25 June 2026, Microsoft quietly added an editor's note to its original Windows Experience Blog post saying the program "is being provided for an additional year", and updated its consumer ESU page to the new date. There was no big announcement. A few weeks later Microsoft started emailing Windows 10 users about it, which is how a lot of people found out.

One thing the table hides: ESU only delivers updates Microsoft rates as critical or important. It's a safety net with holes in it, and Microsoft says as much on its own page when it calls ESU a bridge, not a long-term solution.

Windows 10 ESU cost in USD and INR

For home users, there are three ways in, all from the same enrollment screen:

• Free if you sync your PC settings to your Microsoft account with Windows Backup.
• 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, if you happen to have them lying around.
• A one-time payment of $30, charged in your local currency plus tax. Microsoft doesn't publish a fixed rupee price. At the exchange rate on 22 October 2026 (about ₹94.5 to the dollar), $30 works out to roughly ₹2,835 before GST, but treat that as a ballpark.

One licence covers up to 10 PCs on the same Microsoft account, which makes the $30 option a lot less annoying if you're looking after a few family laptops. Paying once also means you're covered for the whole period. You don't pay again for the extra year.

In the European Economic Area the rules are a bit different. You can enroll for free just by staying signed in to Windows with your Microsoft account. If you stop signing in with it, ESU updates stop after up to 60 days and you have to enroll again. People there who want to keep a local account can pay the one-time fee instead.

Businesses are on a different track entirely. Commercial ESU starts at $61 per device for the first year (about ₹5,770 at the same rate) and the price doubles each year, for three years at most. It's also cumulative, so joining in year two means paying for year one as well. Home ESU won't work on PCs joined to a company domain or managed with MDM, so don't try to sneak a work laptop in.

The steps, in order

Here's how I'd work through it. If your PC can run Windows 11, you can skip ESU entirely and go straight from Step 2 to Step 5.

Step 1: Check which Windows 10 version you're on

Press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter. You need Windows 10 version 22H2 for ESU, and it shows up as OS build 19045 followed by a number. If it shows an older version, update to 22H2 through Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update.

While you're there, check the edition. Consumer ESU covers Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations. Enterprise and Education editions need the business route through IT.

Step 2: See if your PC can run Windows 11

Download Microsoft's PC Health Check app and run the Windows 11 check. It tells you straight away whether the upgrade is possible and, if not, which part fails. The minimum requirements are:

• A processor at 1 GHz or faster with at least 2 cores, and on Microsoft's approved CPU list
• 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage
• UEFI firmware with Secure Boot capability
• TPM 2.0
• DirectX 12 graphics with a WDDM 2.0 driver

The CPU list is the one that catches most people. RAM and storage can sometimes be upgraded, and TPM or Secure Boot are often just switched off in the firmware settings. A processor that isn't on the list can't be fixed with a setting. Microsoft's own advice is to wait for Windows Update to offer Windows 11 after you change anything, rather than forcing it.

Step 3: Back up before you change anything

Whatever path you pick, back up first. The Windows Backup app built into Windows 10 can save your files, settings and app list to your Microsoft account, and the settings sync part is also what gets you free ESU outside Europe. I'd still copy photos and documents to an external drive too. Cloud backup is great until you find out your OneDrive quota is full.

Step 4: Enroll in Windows 10 ESU

Skip this if you're moving to Windows 11 right away. Otherwise:

1. Open Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update, and install everything waiting there. ESU needs a security update from 14 October 2025 or later, plus the ESU Licensing Preparation Package (KB5126256). Windows Update installs that package on its own once the earlier update is in, and the PC restarts.
2. Look for the Enroll now link on the Windows Update page and click it.
3. Sign in with a Microsoft account if you use a local one. It has to be an administrator account and it can't be a child account.
4. Pick free settings sync, Rewards points or the one-time purchase, and follow the prompts.

To check it worked, go back to the Windows Update page, which shows your enrollment status. On other PCs in the house, sign in with the same Microsoft account and choose Add device. If a child's PC says it can't be enrolled, that's usually a permissions issue, and you'll need to enroll it from your own admin account on that machine.

Step 5: Upgrade to Windows 11 if your PC qualifies

If Step 2 came back green, the upgrade is free. Go to Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update, and select Check for updates. Windows 11 should be offered there. Being enrolled in ESU doesn't block it, so you can enroll now as a safety net and upgrade later when you have a free weekend. Before you upgrade, make sure your BitLocker recovery key is saved somewhere you can reach, and if you want to know which Windows 11 version to land on, see should you update to Windows 11 26H2.

Honestly, if your PC qualifies, I wouldn't sit on Windows 10 for another year just because ESU got longer. You'd be running an OS that only gets the most serious patches, on hardware that can run the supported version for free.

Step 6: Decide what happens after October 2027

For PCs that can't run Windows 11, ESU just buys time. Use it to plan one of these:

• Replace the PC. You have close to a year to watch for a good price instead of panic buying. Every mainstream laptop from Lenovo, HP, Dell, ASUS and Acer now ships with Windows 11, and an Apple MacBook is an option if you don't depend on Windows-only software.
• Switch the old PC to another OS. Google's ChromeOS Flex is free and installs from a USB stick, though Google only officially supports models on its certified list. A desktop Linux distribution like Ubuntu or Linux Mint is the other common route. Try either one from a USB drive before you wipe anything.
• Retire it to a side job. An old laptop running Linux makes a decent always-on box at home. It can run the same Pi-hole ad blocker I set up on a Raspberry Pi in my Pi-hole and WireGuard guide, as long as you don't use it for banking or anything sensitive.

Buying a new PC or a Windows 11 licence

If your Windows 10 PC qualifies for the upgrade, you don't need to buy Windows 11. It's free. A paid licence only matters if you're building a PC or putting a new drive in a machine without a valid key. Microsoft Store prices on 22 October 2026:

Compared with that, the $30 ESU fee for up to 10 PCs is cheap. It just doesn't get you anywhere permanent.

My take

The extra year is good news if your PC is genuinely too old for Windows 11 and replacing it right now would hurt. Enroll in ESU, use the free option if you can, and put a reminder in your calendar for mid-2027 to sort out the replacement. If your PC can run Windows 11, the extension doesn't really change anything for you. Upgrade.

I also wouldn't count on a third year. Microsoft hasn't said anything about one, and the extra year was already a surprise. Plan as if 12 October 2027 is the real end.

If you've hit an error during ESU enrollment that I haven't covered here, leave it in the comments with the exact message and I'll add the fix to this post.

FAQ

Has Windows 10 support been extended to 2027?

Not exactly. Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. What runs until 12 October 2027 is the consumer Extended Security Updates program, which sends critical and important security patches to enrolled home PCs.

Is Windows 10 ESU free?

It can be. Outside the EEA, it's free if you sync your PC settings with Windows Backup, or you can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Otherwise it's a one-time $30 payment in local currency plus tax, covering up to 10 PCs.

Do I need to re-enroll for the extra year?

No. Microsoft says PCs already enrolled are covered through 12 October 2027 automatically.

Can I get ESU with a local account?

You have to sign in with a Microsoft account to enroll, because the licence is tied to that account. Microsoft says you may be prompted to sign in even if you normally use a local account. In the EEA, paying the one-time fee lets you keep using a local account afterwards.

Will my Windows 10 PC stop working after October 2027?

No. It will keep booting and running apps. It just won't get any more security updates, which makes it riskier to use online every month after that.

Can I upgrade to Windows 11 after enrolling in ESU?

Yes. ESU doesn't block the Windows 11 upgrade, as long as your PC meets the hardware requirements.