Windows 10 support officially ends later this year, but Microsoft is opening up new avenues for those that need prolonged security updates. The company is now offering an alternative path at no charge to those that don’t mind leaning on the cloud.
Support for Windows 10 will cease come October 14, 2025, over a decade since the operating system’s debut. The OS has remained popular to the point that it still enjoys a larger desktop market share than Windows 11, despite the almost-four-years its successor has been available.
In light of this, Microsoft announced the ESU (Extended Security Updates) program, which will provide security updates at $30 (or 1,000 Microsoft Points) a pop per device. However, you will now be able to circumvent this charge providing you enable Windows Backup via OneDrive, syncing your files to the cloud.
While this is a welcome change, it does come with limitations. The free-to-use version of OneDrive only offers up to 5GB of storage, with larger capacities coming at a premium. So long as you’re selective about which folders you select for backup, this should be manageable. Just don’t forget to maintain a local backup where possible too.
Personally, I’d prefer to settle for the 1,000 Microsoft Points route. Earning that many points isn’t difficult if you engage with quests via Bing, Edge, Microsoft Store, or Xbox app. For reference, Microsoft sets the monthly cap at 20,000, so this is effectively chump change.
Regardless of which path you take, Microsoft is pushing an enrolment wizard to Windows 10 starting in July, with broader availability coming in August. If in doubt, check your system notifications.
Security is paramount to any operating system, so I appreciate Microsoft providing further ways to extend the lifespan of Windows 10 at no cost to the user. However, I wouldn’t expect such goodwill to last forever. It’s not a matter of if, but when, you’ll upgrade to Windows 11.
