Overview

• Free support stops on October 14, 2025, though October’s update will still arrive, and users can enroll in ESU anytime until October 13, 2026 with past updates applied on signup.
• The consumer ESU delivers one year of security patches for about $30 or at no charge by syncing settings to OneDrive or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
• Microsoft has granted European Economic Area users free ESU access without those conditions, a regional exception not offered in the US or most other markets.
• Windows 10 still runs on roughly 40% of desktops—about 600 million PCs—with advocacy estimates that up to 400 million cannot meet Windows 11 hardware requirements.
• In the UK, Which? estimates around 21 million people still use Windows 10 and 26% plan to keep it, as Microsoft warns unsupported devices face higher malware risk and possible app degradation.