Windows 10: Microsoft extends security updates until October 2027
The consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme for Windows 10 was due to end on 13 October 2026. Microsoft has extended it: according to its official page, enrolled devices will keep getting security patches until 12 October 2027, and you can enrol at any time up to that date.
That is good news for the many businesses in Tenerife that still run Windows 10 on the till, the office computer or the one recording the cameras. But the small print matters.
What you need to keep getting patches
- Windows 10 version 22H2, in the Home, Pro, Pro Education or Workstations editions.
- Enrol the device from Settings › Update & Security › Windows Update, using an administrator account.
- In Europe it is free as long as you sign in to Windows with the Microsoft account used to enrol, at least once every 60 days. If you would rather keep a local account, there is a one-off payment.
- Devices managed by an organisation (joined to a domain or a management platform) are not covered by this programme: they have their own.
What it doesn’t include
Microsoft is clear about it: ESU only brings security patches. No new features, no other fixes and no technical support. And software and hardware makers are gradually dropping Windows 10 from their testing, so every month it becomes more likely that something stops working after a POS or printer update.
How to make the most of the extra year
Our advice is to use these twelve months to plan the switch, not to postpone it. List the computers running Windows 10, check which ones can take Windows 11 and which are better replaced, and start with the ones that matter most: the till and the one holding your data. If a machine can’t be upgraded, better to know now than in September 2027.