If you saw warnings that Windows 10 security updates would stop on 13 October 2026, you’re not alone. For most of the last year, that was the date. But Microsoft quietly changed it. Home users now get Windows 10 security updates until 12 October 2027, a whole extra year. If your PC is already enrolled, you don’t need to do a thing. If it isn’t, you can still sign up.
We shared the old date in a couple of our own posts before the change came to light, so here’s the straight, up-to-date version: what’s changed, how to check your PC is covered, and whether you should still be thinking about upgrading.
What’s actually changed
Windows 10 officially reached the end of support in October 2025. To give people more time, Microsoft launched the Extended Security Updates programme (ESU for short). It keeps critical and important security fixes coming to Windows 10 PCs that are signed up to it. It was meant to finish on 13 October 2026. Microsoft has since extended it to 12 October 2027 for personal (home) PCs.
- Already enrolled? Your cover carries on automatically until October 2027. There’s nothing to click.
- Not enrolled? You can still sign up any time before October 2027. Until you do, your PC isn’t getting security fixes.
- What it doesn’t do: ESU is security fixes only. No new features, no general bug fixes, and no technical support from Microsoft.
How to check if your PC is covered (2 minutes)
- Click Start, then Settings.
- Go to Update & Security → Windows Update.
- If you see a message saying your PC is enrolled in Extended Security Updates, you’re covered until October 2027.
- If you see an Enrol now link instead, your PC isn’t covered yet. See the next section.
- Not sure which version of Windows you’re on? Press Start, type winver and press Enter.
To enrol, your PC needs to be on Windows 10 version 22H2 with the latest updates installed. You’ll also need to sign in with a Microsoft account that’s an administrator on the PC.
How to sign up (including the free option)
Microsoft gives you three ways to enrol, all from that same Windows Update screen:
- Free: turn on Windows Backup so your PC settings sync to your Microsoft account
- Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points
- A one-off payment of around £25
One enrolment covers up to 10 Windows 10 PCs on the same Microsoft account. That’s handy if the whole household is still on Windows 10.
So should you still upgrade?
The extension buys you time. It doesn’t change the destination. Windows 10 will stop getting updates for good in October 2027, and every month on an ageing system adds risk. Here’s how we’d think about it:
- If your PC can run Windows 11: the upgrade is free, and doing it now means no rush later. Back everything up first.
- If your PC can’t run Windows 11: enrol in ESU so you’re protected now. Then plan a replacement in your own time over the next 12 months, rather than in a panic in 2027.
- If your PC is slow, noisy or on its last legs anyway: this is a good moment to weigh up repair against replacement.
A note for local businesses
The free ESU programme is for personal PCs only. Machines joined to a company domain or managed by business IT tools aren’t eligible. They need Microsoft’s separate commercial ESU, which works differently. If you run a small business around Newton Aycliffe, Darlington or Durham and you’re not sure where your PCs stand, it’s worth a quick check now.
Not sure where your PC stands?
If you’d rather someone just checked it for you, we can. We’ll tell you whether your PC is covered and whether it can run Windows 11. If it’s time for something new, we’ll move all your photos, files and emails across. Honest advice, no jargon, No Fix, No Fee, and free local collection across Newton Aycliffe, Darlington, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Crook and Yarm.
Source: Microsoft,”Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU)”.