Microsoft extends Windows 10 support by another year

Microsoft extends Windows 10 support by another year">

Microsoft's extension of Windows 10 security updates for a year past the official end-of-support date just got another one-year extension. If you previously signed up for the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program, your end date has been automatically moved out one full year. If you own a Windows 10 PC and haven't signed up for the ESU program, you can do so anytime between now and October 2027.

The company snuck out the news in a pair of tiny updates to previously published articles. The official Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) page now announces, in two places, that the program will end on Oct. 12, 2027, two years after Windows 10 support officially stopped.

A check of the Internet Archive reveals that the update was made sometime in the last 30 days. There is no indication anywhere on that page that the content has changed. Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed out that an Editor's note has now been appended to the end of a Microsoft blog post urging customers to update to Windows 11 before support ends for Windows 10 : 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. That post was originally published on June 24, 2025.

Microsoft depends on OEM customers -- Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, and a host of smaller names, including its own Surface division -- to buy new Windows licenses for use on new PCs. Encouraging customers to hang on to their old PCs for longer flies in the face of that marketing imperative. The number of PCs still running Windows 10 is likely much higher than execs in Redmond would like.

That's pure educated guesswork on my part, because Microsoft will not disclose the numbers, but there are a significant number of PCs in the installed base that are simply incapable of upgrading to Windows 11 through normal channels. Last January, Microsoft announced that the number of monthly active users of Windows 11 had passed the 1 billion mark . Today's change doesn't affect corporate Windows deployments.

Anyone who wants to continue running Windows 10 in a managed environment has to pay dearly for the privilege. Business ESU subscriptions are available through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program or through Microsoft's Cloud Service Provider partners. The business ESU subscriptions run a total of three years, through October 2028.