Overview

• European Economic Area consumers can enroll eligible Windows 10 PCs for free Extended Security Updates through October 13, 2026, if the device is linked to a Microsoft account.
• Germany’s consumer federation VZBV has asked the European Commission to set minimum support periods for digital devices, citing the Cyber Resilience Act as a possible legal basis.
• Roughly 30 million devices in Germany still run Windows 10, and many cannot meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, leaving users without a straightforward upgrade path.
• Consumer and environmental advocates warn that households would bear replacement costs and that functional machines could become electronic waste once support ends.
• Businesses must pay for ESU, and critics characterize Microsoft’s one-year extension as a temporary delay rather than a solution to the support–hardware mismatch.