Microsoft’s Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) are free if you use a Microsoft account, but there’s been a major catch added. Now, you have to keep signing in to it every 60 days, or the updates will expire, and you’ll be out of luck if you’re not able to re-enroll.
Since Windows 10 is officially reaching its end of support on October 14, 2025, the Extended Security Updates program is the only way to keep getting critical security patches after that date. While Microsoft has been very kind and claims users can just re-enroll after, that’s only for as long as the company offers it. If you miss that 60-day window and Microsoft removes the ability to re-enroll or enroll at all, your ESU updates will be discontinued.
That isn’t just typing your username and password somewhere, either. In the United States, this requires you to sign in to your Microsoft account and sync your Settings to OneDrive. Users in the European Economic Area (EEA), however, only need to link their Microsoft account without requiring the OneDrive sync. If you’re already signed in with Microsoft, you’re eligible for the free ESU as long as you stay signed in with that same account.
Some savvy users might try to activate the ESU with their Microsoft Account and then immediately log out or switch to a local account to avoid being tied to the Microsoft ecosystem. Microsoft has shut that down. The company made it clear that to retain your free ESU access, you absolutely need to use or sign in to your Microsoft account on the PC at least once every 60 days. Microsoft periodically scans to check if you’re still meeting the ESU requirements.
Of course, for those who prefer to stick with a local account, Microsoft offers a paid option as an alternative to the sign-in requirement. You can make a one-time purchase of $30 to enable Extended Security Updates through October 13, 2026, without needing to stay signed in with your Microsoft account. The ESU license will still be associated with the login used to make the initial purchase, but you can continue using a local account after that.
Keep in mind that the updates only give access to critical and important security updates because no other feature improvements or technical support will be included after the cutoff date. The good news is that if your device meets the prerequisites, like running Windows 10, version 22H2 Home, Professional, etc., and having the latest updates, you can activate the ESU right now through Windows Update.
There are no other choices if you want to stay on Windows and can’t (or won’t) move over to Windows 11. You could always run your OS without any security updates, but that is not safe, nor is it recommended. You could buy a Mac and switch over, but I moved to Linux instead of sticking with Windows and prefer this over having to deal with updates.
Source: Microsoft, Windowslatest