How to get free Windows 10 Safety Updates through October 2026: Two methods

With a few months until the date of Windows 10 end-off-port, Microsoft feels that the owners of millions of consumers running Windows 10 are not ready to replace their old computers, and they are not more than $ 30 for thorn for membership of an extended security update (ESU) of one year.

Therefore, at the end of June, just a few days before the end of its financial year, the company waved the white flag and announced the new “free enrollment option” for the ESU program, as well as customers will need customers to sign up. Any person is ready to try the cloud-based Windows backup of Microsoft or spend a few minutes per day with a bing search engine over a week, which can avoid $ 30 tariffs and can get free that membership for free using the enrollment wizard shown here.

This news was buried Still another long post on Windows blogWhich admits Windows 11 and encourages business customers to upgrade their old PCs, buy new, or migrate on cloud-based options such as Windows 365.

Also: Can’t leave Windows 10? You can pay Microsoft for updates after October, or try these options

This announcement applies to millions of consumer PCs that are unfit for free Windows 11 upgrade as they do not meet compatibility requirements. Enterprise customers are inept for free options and will require to pay a much higher price for up to three years of a commercial ESU membership (starting at $ 61 per device per year, and then doubled each year). Those professional options are available today through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program; Microsoft’s cloud service provider partners will be able to start selling commercial ESUs starting from 1 September.

ESU coverage for individual devices lasts from 15 October 2025, from October 13, 2026. ESU membership is tied to a Microsoft account and can be applied to 10 pcs when signed in using that account.

Who is the character?

The option to sign up to ESU membership from an individual Windows 10 PC is available today in Windows Insider Build, and the company says it will start rolling out for additional Windows 10 PC in July, expecting comprehensive availability by the middle of August.

This option will be available to any PCs running the latest updated PCs Windows 10, Version 22H2, Home, Professional, Pro Education and Workstation versions. Enterprises and education versions are not eligible. The option will also be unavailable on any PC that is registered with mobile device management software such as an active directory domain, an entra ID-jubbles or Windows Intune. (Full instructions are available This microsoft support document,

You should be signed with an administrator account. Because ESU subscription is associated with Microsoft account, you will also have to sign a Microsoft account as part of the enrollment process.

How to sign up

I was able to test the enrollment process on the PC, which runs the Windows 10 Pro release preview version. Sign-up link settings> Windows is available in updates, as shown next:

Clicking “Enroll Nau” opens the enrollment wizard. Because I was signed with a Microsoft account and used Windows backup program to save my settings on the first Microsoft cloud, I was waved with the following message:

If you are signed in with a local account, or if you have not run the Windows backup before, you will have to jump through some additional hops. You will see this page in the nomination wizard instead.

The easiest of the free options is to use Windows Backup to sync your settings on the cloud. If you do not do this, you can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or pay $ 30 (outside the US, local pricing will be different).

Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – 2 free options

As I mentioned earlier, this option is only available for “personal use”, a step designed to discourage professional customers from trying to get safety updates at discounts. In small businesses that are not part of a managed microsoft environment, it would be impossible to apply that restriction, so Microsoft has wisely decided to block individual ESU membership only on commercial equipment that are part of a managed enterprise network.

What is the grip with free options?

The use of Windows Backup “seems like a simple option to” sink your settings on the cloud, but this option cannot work for you. As currently it exists, Windows Backup Options also copy individual data in the ondrive cloud storage service. If you have sufficient amount of data and have not been paid for Microsoft 365 Homes or Personal Subscriptions or a Standalone Storage upgrade, you will burn through 5GB of default storage and will probably air with a large disturbance.

Also: Can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC? Before all this ends in 3 months, here are your options

Rediming 1,000 microsoft rewards points is a simple option. If you have already created a personal profile using your Microsoft account, you can already get enough points to cover that cost (those points would be slightly lower under $ 1 if Amazon was roasted for gift card). If your Microsoft Rewards Count is starting from zero, you can quickly cover the bill Download Bing App Using it for mobile and for two days (500 marks), then a series of search-based quiz, election and other silly tasks for a few days to deposit 100-200 marks per day to submit 100-200 marks per day Microsoft Award site,

And if none of those options works for you … Okay, it will be $ 30, please.

Too: 400 million Windows PC disappeared in 3 years. Where did they all go?

These announcements represent a huge climb-down for Microsoft and a taset acknowledgment that the Windows 10 PC population still used in October is likely to be much larger than expected. The new ESU option will not change the end-of-port date for Windows 10, but they offer a year-to-one recurrence to price-sensitive consumers and will take the opportunity to soften the indispensable PR hit for microsoft at the end of 2025.

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