Microsoft will end software support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. It’s a deadline we’ve known for some time now, but things have recently got a little more complicated.

With no security updates after October, Windows 10 users have been faced with four choices: Upgrade to Windows 11 with a free download, buy a new Windows 11 PC, do nothing, or claim one year of extra security updates.

It’s that last option where things get complicated. Microsoft decided to offer an Extended Security Updates (ESU) program with security updates for one year until October 2026 for Windows 10 users. To claim, you have to either pay USD $30, redeem 1,000 Microsoft Reward points or sign in with a Microsoft account and sync your PC’s settings to the cloud.

The likelihood of having to pay money or commit your data to Microsoft’s cloud server has caused outcry among Windows 10 users.

In the latest U-turn from Microsoft, the firm has decided it will offer the ESU program for free to anyone in the European Economic Area (EEA), but UK users will miss out. The EEA consists of all EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft had been under pressure from consumer watchdog Euroconsumers, who argued Microsoft was unfairly financially benefitting from its ESU program.

As a result, and detailed here by Euroconsumers, Microsoft has agreed to “a no-cost Extended Security Updates (ESU) option for Windows 10 consumer users in the European Economic Area … this option will not require users to back up settings, apps, or credentials, or use Microsoft Rewards.”

Here’s Microsoft’s full statement given to Windows Central:

“In the European Economic Area, we’re making updates to the enrollment 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.”

It means if you live in a country in the EEA, if you have a Windows 10 PC you should be able to go to the ESU setup page via your computer’s settings and enroll for a further free year of security patches to take you to October 2026.

It is understood you’ll need to be logged into a Microsoft account, but will not be required to sync your settings to Microsoft OneDrive. The implication is that Microsoft’s cloud services require a paid account, meaning Microsoft would be financially benefitting from you enrolling in the ‘free’ ESU program, something Microsoft has deemed fit to change for EEA nations after European pressures.

Given the UK’s exit from the EEA and EU in January 2021, British Windows 10 users will still have to sign up to the ESU program in one of the aforementioned ways.