What a difference a week can make. Microsoft has announced a major change. Windows 10 will now receive free support until October 2026. This move comes as a surprise, especially after the company had long insisted that support would end in October 2025. That deadline now looks far less firm than once believed.
Microsoft Extends Free Windows 10 Support Until 2026—But Is It the Right Move?
The timing is ironic. In the same week, Windows 11 finally gained momentum. For the first time, it matched Windows 10’s market share. After years of slow adoption, the Windows 11 upgrade campaign was finally paying off.
Currently, there are two groups of Windows 10 users. About 400 million use PCs that are eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade. Another 240 million are stuck with devices that can’t upgrade. Microsoft’s latest decision gives both groups a free pass—if they agree to use its cloud backup service. That’s where the controversy begins.
What Microsoft’s Windows 10 Support Extension Means for Millions of Users
Instead of offering extended support only to users with ineligible hardware, Microsoft chose to include everyone. This may discourage people from upgrading to Windows 11. It could even slow down the progress made in recent months.
Microsoft had a chance to handle this differently. By focusing the free extension on users with older, incompatible PCs, it could have eased the transition without slowing adoption. Instead, it may have delayed the inevitable, making future problems even harder to fix.
This is also not the first softening of Microsoft’s takes. Just weeks ago, the company extended support for Office apps on Windows 10 through 2028. That support was originally scheduled to end in October 2025.
There’s also a word of caution. Microsoft says it will continue to provide Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 until 2028. But this is not full security support. Users should not confuse the two. The free support extension is only for one year—not three.
Windows Latest has previewed the new Extended Security Updates (ESU) setup. It offers three options: sign up for cloud backup, use Microsoft Rewards points, or pay $30. Support is then extended beyond the original deadline.
Interestingly, you don’t need to meet Windows 11 hardware requirements to get the ESU. Enrollment is currently available through the Windows Insider Program, but Microsoft says it will roll out to all users soon.
For now, the countdown clock has gained another year—but the long-term future remains unclear.
