Windows 10 users will continue to receive free security updates until October 2027, despite the official end of support for the operating system on October 14, 2025. Normally, PCs running Windows 10 with default settings no longer receive monthly critical security updates from Windows Update servers unless they subscribe to the Extended Security Update (ESU) program. Microsoft continues to provide these updates through the ESU program for the "unsupported" operating system. The ESU program was originally planned to last 12 months but has been extended by a full year, with the new end date set for October 12, 2027. Free ESU subscriptions are available for PCs running Windows 10 Home or Professional editions in home or small business environments. These subscriptions must be activated using a Microsoft account. Once registered, the account holder can extend eligibility for the update to a maximum of 10 PCs by logging into each using the same Microsoft account. Once activated, the subscription remains active even if the user account associated with the device is changed. The ability to subscribe to an ESU is available to any PC running the final version of Windows 10, version 22H2, with Home, Professional, Pro Education, and Workstation editions supported, provided the latest cumulative Windows update is installed. However, Enterprise and Education editions are not eligible. This option is also not available on PCs that are part of an Active Directory domain, joined to Microsoft Entra ID, or registered with mobile device management software such as Microsoft Intune. Users must be logged in with an administrator account, and this account cannot be configured as a child account. Microsoft notes that ESU program registration options for individuals and deadlines "may vary by region," with a list of eligible countries and languages. European Economic Area (EEA) customers, including those in France, automatically benefit from free ESU subscriptions without needing a Microsoft account. This was confirmed in a letter from the Euroconsumers group and a statement from Microsoft to Windows Central. Corporate customers are not eligible for the free options and must pay for commercial ESU subscriptions, starting at €60 per device per year, with prices doubling each subsequent year. These subscriptions are available through Microsoft's Volume Licensing program or cloud service provider partners. To check if a PC is registered for the ESU subscription, users can go to Settings > Windows Update and look for a status message confirming the PC receives security updates. If not registered, a message indicates that the device no longer receives security updates. Users can register for the ESU program through the link available in Settings > Windows Update. The registration process requires a Microsoft account and, in some cases, additional steps if not logged in with a Microsoft account or if Windows Backup has not been used. The deadline for ESU subscriptions was extended without users needing to take additional action. If the ESU offer does not appear, users should check that they meet all required conditions, including having installed the latest updates for Windows 10, version 22H2, and being logged in with a Microsoft account. If necessary, users can download and install the Extended Security Update (ESU) for Windows 10 License Preparation Pack, which installs necessary license files but does not provide security updates. Using Windows Backup to synchronize settings in the cloud can lead to issues if users have a large volume of data and have not subscribed to a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription or an independent storage extension. Users can avoid this by ensuring they are not connected to OneDrive before subscribing to the ESU subscription.