This huge reversal has an equally huge problem.
Getty Images
What a difference a week makes. Microsoft has suddenly 鈥済iven up鈥 and confirmed the inevitable. Windows 10 support will be extended at no cost until October 2026. So it seems the October 2025 hard red line was neither as hard nor as red as expected. Unfortunately, it seems this is a mistake affecting more than 400 million users.
Ironically, after years of trying, the week Microsoft chose to drop this bombshell was also the week its Windows 11 upgrade campaign finally started hitting home, with the newer version of the OS catching Windows 10鈥檚 market share for the first time.
ForbesMinecraft Warning 鈥 Do Not Use This New Software On Your PCBy Zak Doffman
The current Windows 10 user base divides into two camps. Somewhere around 400 million users with PCs eligible to upgrade and around 240 million that can鈥檛. With the upgrade program working, Microsoft should have limited its free support extension to only those with ineligible PCs. That鈥檚 where the upgrade complexity and cost lies.
Instead, any users favoring Windows 10 who would balk at paying the expected $30 12-month ESU price get a free extension, subject to using Microsoft鈥檚 cloud backup. It will be fascinating to see what happens to those upgrade stats over the coming weeks.
MORE FOR YOU
Windows 11 finally catches Windows 10
Statcounter
In my view, Microsoft has missed a trick and this is a mistake. There was a genuine case to give ineligible PC owners more time to upgrade hardware, without giving the entire Windows 10 user base a break. The fear now is this just kicks the problem down the road, stopping or even reversing the accelerating upgrade train for eligible PCs.
This is the second softening of the hard red line in recent weeks, with the other concession being a three-year security support extension for office apps on Windows 10, which had been expected to disappear come October this year.
Windows 10’s free extension
Windows Latest
On that note, there is a word of caution for Windows 10 users. Microsoft鈥檚 blogpost announcing the free extension also promised it 鈥渨ill continue to provide Security Intelligence Updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 through October 2028.鈥 This is not the same as full security support and should not be treated as such. The extension is a one-year deal not a three-year deal, despite some reports.
Windows Latest has published a first look at the new ESU wizard, which lists the three options: Cloud backup, reward points or $30. It then confirms that support is extended beyond October. “In our tests, it just takes a few seconds to extend support. You鈥檒l see the ‘Enroll now鈥 button on the right side of the Windows Update.”
ForbesForget Gmail鈥擥oogle Confirms Android Upgrade DecisionBy Zak Doffman
Obviously, 鈥測ou don鈥檛 need to meet Windows 11 requirements to be eligible for Extended Security updates,” which would be counter-intuitive. But neither is it disabled if you do.
鈥淩ight now, this enrollment feature works only in the Windows Insider Program,鈥 Windows Latest says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to join the program for the 鈥楨nroll now鈥 button, as Microsoft says it will roll out the feature to everyone in the coming weeks.鈥
Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions