Overview

• Consumers can qualify for a free year of Extended Security Updates by syncing settings to OneDrive or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
• Commercial customers remain excluded from the free offer and must pay $61 per device for the first year of ESU, with fees rising thereafter.
• Public Interest Research Group campaigners warn the concession is insufficient to aid as many as 400 million Windows 10 PCs that cannot upgrade to Windows 11.
• ControlUp’s latest report finds that 50 percent of enterprise Windows endpoints have yet to migrate to Windows 11 ahead of the October 2025 support deadline.
• Sustainability advocates caution that unsupported devices may end up discarded in a wave of e-waste once Windows 10 security updates expire.