Microsoft has extended the Windows 10 Extended Security Update (ESU) program by another year due to Windows 11's hardware requirements and AI-focused features slowing adoption, with Windows 10 still running on 26% of PCs.
<p>Microsoft <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/windows-10-support-ends-today-but-its-just-the-first-of-many-deaths/">ended official support</a> for Windows 10 in 2025, but the company may have a harder time than expected putting the operating system out to pasture. After promising a year of optional extended update support, Microsoft has changed its policy, tacking on another year to its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. If you are still clinging to Windows 10, you don't have to do anything but enjoy that extra year.</p>
<p>The last regular updates rolled out to Windows 10 in October of last year, but the Internet can be a dangerous place for unpatched Windows machines. That was a problem for Microsoft, as Windows 11 usage had only barely surpassed Windows 10 when support ended. Microsoft's solution was to give everyone on the old OS a free year of extended updates.</p>
<p>That program was set to end on October 12, 2026, but Microsoft has updated its policy with hardly a whisper, pushing back the end of extended updates to October 12, 2027. The <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates#cw">ESU support page</a> was updated with that date, and Microsoft's <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2025/06/24/stay-secure-with-windows-11-copilot-pcs-and-windows-365-before-support-ends-for-windows-10">blog post on the program</a> has a new editor's note confirming the change.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/">Read full article</a></p>
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# Microsoft adds another year to Windows 10 extended update program
Source: [https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/)
Unlike many past Windows updates, Windows 11[required some users to buy new PCs](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/12/microsoft-reiterates-non-negotiable-tpm-2-0-requirement-for-windows-11/)with specific CPU technologies and a Trusted Platform Module \(TPM\)\. Microsoft was widely criticized for excluding perfectly serviceable PCs, and that’s turning into a problem in 2026\. The AI\-driven shortage of storage and memory has made system upgrades vastly more expensive, potentially slowing upgrades\. Some have also avoided Windows 11 due to Microsoft’s intense focus on AI features\.
The result is that Windows 10 remains stubbornly popular\. According to[StatCounter data](https://gs.statcounter.com/windows-version-market-share/desktop/united-states-of-america), Windows 10 is still running on about 26 percent of PCs, while Windows 11 sits at 72 percent\. That means there are still hundreds of millions of active Windows 10 installs, but those machines will be up to date for at least an additional year\.
[https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ESU-Wizard-Welcome-page.png](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ESU-Wizard-Welcome-page.png)[https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ESU-Wizard-Welcome-page.png](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ESU-Wizard-Welcome-page.png)[](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ESU-Wizard-Welcome-page.png)
Credit: Microsoft
Credit: Microsoft
To join the ESU program, just look for the enrollment option in the Windows Update menu\. Customers in the EU get these updates for free, but in other regions, you have to sign in with a Microsoft account and sync your system settings to be eligible for free updates\. Otherwise, it costs $30 \(or 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points\) to join the program\.
Once you’re in, the ESU license works on up to 10 devices, but Microsoft stresses this is for personal use—businesses have to pay per device for Windows 10 updates, but the program is available through 2028\. But at this rate, Microsoft might be releasing Windows 10 updates even beyond that timeline\.
Microsoft announces it will use AI more heavily in its Patch Tuesday security updates for Windows 11, aiming to find and fix vulnerabilities faster. The company will integrate AI into its Secure Development Lifecycle and invest in Windows-specific AI tools for generating and validating security fixes.
Windows 11's July 2026 Patch Tuesday update allows users to pause updates for up to 35 days, with the option to extend the deadline repeatedly, along with security fixes and other improvements.
Microsoft released a record 570 security patches for Windows and other software, including 60 critical flaws and three zero-days, attributing the increase to AI-assisted vulnerability discovery.
Microsoft is set to break another patch Tuesday record in September with over 650 security fixes for Windows, driven by AI models that rapidly discover software vulnerabilities.