If a reminder on your phone says Windows 10 security updates stop next week, it is out of date. When Microsoft first set up its paid lifeline for Windows 10 home users, cover was due to finish on 13 October 2026. Microsoft has since extended it by a year, and its official page now says the Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme for personal devices runs until 12 October 2027.
That matters for the many home PCs that still run Windows 10 because the machine cannot take Windows 11 or the owner has not got round to it.
What changed, and when
Windows 10 reached its end of support on 14 October 2025. From that day, Microsoft stopped sending ordinary security fixes, feature updates and technical help. The consumer ESU programme was offered as a bridge: enrolled PCs keep getting critical and important security updates.
When Microsoft announced the consumer programme in June 2025, cover for personal devices started on 15 October 2025 and was meant to last one year, to 13 October 2026. On 25 June 2026 it added an editor's note to that announcement on the Windows Experience Blog saying ESU for personal devices was being provided for an additional year, with cover now available through 12 October 2027, to give people more time to move to a Windows 11 PC.
People already enrolled do not need to do anything. Microsoft's page says their cover continues automatically to the new end date.
Who can enrol
The PC has to run Windows 10 version 22H2 in the Home, Pro, Pro Education or Workstations edition, with the latest Windows updates installed. Microsoft also lists a licensing preparation package, KB5126256, as required.
The person enrolling needs a Microsoft account with administrator rights on the PC, and it cannot be a child account. Anyone who signs in to Windows with a local account will be asked to sign in with a Microsoft account during enrolment, and the ESU licence is tied to that account.
Consumer ESU is not for work machines. Enrolment is not offered on devices in kiosk mode, devices joined to an Active Directory domain or to Microsoft Entra, or devices managed through a mobile device management system. A device that is only registered with Microsoft Entra can still use it. Offices need the separate commercial ESU route.
The three ways to pay
There are three options. Enrolment is free if the PC is syncing its settings to the cloud through Windows Backup. It is also free in exchange for 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Otherwise, it is a one-time purchase of 30 dollars, or the equivalent in local currency plus tax. Microsoft does not list an Indian rupee price on the page, so the amount shown at checkout is the one that applies, price as of 6 October 2026, 06:30 IST.
One licence covers up to 10 devices signed in with the same Microsoft account. Microsoft says refunds for a paid enrolment follow its normal rules for digital purchases in each country.
How to enrol
Open Settings, go to Update and Security, then Windows Update. If the PC meets the conditions, there is a link to enrol in ESU; select Enroll now and follow the steps. To add another PC, sign in on it with the same Microsoft account, go to the same screen and choose Add device.
Microsoft notes that enrolment can happen at any time until the programme ends, but that a PC is more exposed to viruses and malware for as long as it stays unenrolled. Once enrolled, it receives all critical and important updates released since October 2025.
What ESU does not do
ESU is security fixes only. It brings no new features, no other kinds of fixes and no technical support. Enrolling does not stop a PC from moving to Windows 11 later if the hardware qualifies.
For anyone weighing a new machine instead, recent launches include Microsoft's Surface Pro and Laptop with Snapdragon X2 Plus chips and Google's Googlebook laptops, though the second is not yet sold in India.
Who should act now
The groups most likely to have missed the change are people who set a reminder for October 2026 and families who manage an older parent's PC. If the PC shows the ESU link in Windows Update, enrolling takes a few minutes. If it is already enrolled, the date simply moves to 12 October 2027, and that is the deadline to plan a move to a supported system.
