The top of Home windows 10 help is shortly approaching, which implies customers are dealing with a troublesome alternative: depart Home windows 10 behind and replace to Home windows 11 or keep and both settle for the chance of utilizing unsupported software program or enroll within the prolonged safety replace program. In case you plan to go along with the latter choice, Microsoft has some essential particulars and excellent news for you.

Microsoft lastly introduced program enrollment particulars for Home windows 10 customers. Beginning immediately, Home windows 10 Insiders can entry a brand new enrollment wizard by the Settings app and push notifications to arrange their techniques for the Prolonged Safety Replace program (ESU). Extra importantly, Microsoft is introducing free enrollment choices, permitting Home windows 10 customers to stay supported for another yr with out paying Microsoft a single greenback.

Now, you will get 12 extra months of safety updates utilizing one of many following three choices:

• Use the Home windows Backup app to sync your settings to the cloud
• Pay 1,000 Microsoft Rewards factors
• Pay $30 (native costs could fluctuate)

That is the primary time that Microsoft has made the Prolonged Safety Replace program accessible for customers. Beforehand, this program was reserved for business prospects solely. Nevertheless, 4 years after the discharge of Home windows 11, Home windows 10 stays the dominant desktop working system. At this scope, Microsoft can’t simply drop tons of of tens of millions of customers behind. Microsoft’s preliminary plan was to offer prospects 12 months of additional updates for $30, however now, the corporate is seemingly giving up on that.

Whereas the $30 choice continues to be accessible, this system is just about free for each client, which addresses among the considerations I expressed earlier. 1,000 Microsoft Reward factors is a fairly small worth to pay, and the Home windows Backup choice is solely free (all you want is to sync your PC settings utilizing a Microsoft Account). With these two new choices, Microsoft makes safety updates extra accessible to customers (governments are already warning customers in regards to the finish of Home windows 10 help), giving them extra time to plan their migration to Home windows 11 with out sending their computer systems to the landfill and producing 1000’s of tons of e-waste.

The enrollment wizard is now accessible to Home windows 10 Insiders. Subsequent month, it will likely be accessible outdoors the Insider program as a part of the July non-security updates. Broad availability is predicted by mid-August.

Business organizations can even enroll their units immediately utilizing the Microsoft Quantity Licensing Program. The worth is $61 per gadget for one yr. For Home windows 365, these Cloud PCs are eligible for prolonged safety updates at no additional value.

It’s value noting that this system solely grants one yr of safety updates, from October 15, 2025, to October 13, 2026. Nevertheless, those that want extra help can go for third-party options like 0patch, which guarantees 5 extra years of safety updates.

The top of mainstream Home windows 10 help implies that the corporate will cease offering technical help and have/safety updates outdoors the ESU program. As such, many builders will begin dropping Home windows 10 help of their merchandise, cut back accessible performance, and extra. Nevertheless, Home windows 10 PCs won’t cease working in a single day. Furthermore, a few of Microsoft-made providers will proceed receiving help. These embrace Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Defender updates. Microsoft 365 apps will likely be getting new options till August 2026 and safety updates till October 10, 2028.

For a lot of customers, the largest drawback with Home windows 11 will not be its controversial taskbar or Begin menu (which is getting an enormous redesign, thoughts you). Steeper {hardware} necessities forestall many customers from updating their still-capable computer systems to a supported launch. To mitigate this, Microsoft is keen to supply free safety updates for one yr as a substitute of decreasing Home windows 11’s {hardware} necessities. A number of months in the past, Microsoft doubled down on these and careworn that Home windows 11’s minimal {hardware} necessities wouldn’t be lowered.