Microsoft has confirmed that it will offer free access to Windows 10’s extended support updates (ESU) program to users within the European Economic Area (EEA). This will give remaining Windows 10 users in this area another year to think about moving to Windows 11 or to find another operating system.
Following complaints from Euroconsumers, an international consumer advocacy organisation, Microsoft has revised its Windows 10 end-of-life schedule, providing EEA users with free security updates until October 14, 2026. These include all 27 member states of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The UK isn’t part of this deal, unfortunately.
In a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft said: “In the European Economic Area, we’re making updates to the enrolment process to ensure it meets local expectations and delivers a secure, streamlined experience. Our goal is to support customers and provide them with options as they transition to Windows 11, with uninterrupted access to critical security updates.”
Prior to this announcement, the only ways to acquire this extension of support was via a $30 payment, redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Reward points, or syncing your PC settings to the cloud. This raised concerns regarding compliance with obligations under Article 6 of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Subseqeutnly, this new option only requires periodic Microsoft account authentication – every 60 days – to continue receiving updates.
Even so, Euroconsumers indicates that such short-term measures aren’t sufficient for products with as wide a consumer base as Windows 10, and that they do not align with the EU’s broader sustainability goals. According to the advocacy group, an estimated 850M devices cannot make the jump to Windows 11, further citing that 22% of consumers remain on older but still functional Windows 10 devices and laptops from 2017 or earlier.
For now, Euroconsumers is in talks with Microsoft to find a way to further extend device protection beyond this date. Until then, EEA users can enjoy an extra year of protection for free.
