Published on 6/27/2026
Microsoft quietly extended the extended security updates program for the Windows 10 operating system until October 14, 2027, without any prior official announcement of this step, after the updates program was scheduled to stop on October 13 of this year.
The “Windows Latest” website monitored that Microsoft changed its information regarding the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 to indicate that support now continues until next October, and the company updated its original blog post published almost a year ago with the new information without changing the date of the original publication or announcement.
According to a report published by the American technical website TechRadar, the section related to the deadline now states that support for Windows 10 has ended, and you can register for the Extended Security Updates program at any time until the program ends on October 12, 2027. If you are already registered, your coverage will automatically continue until that date without the need to take any action.
This means that if you are enrolled in the program, you will continue to receive updates for 16 months and not just four, as the original end-of-support deadline was October 2026. It is still possible to enroll in the program if you have not done so yet.
Microsoft confirmed to the “Windows Latest” technical website that this is not a mistake in the text, and that the extended security updates program actually continues for another year, giving users of this system a welcome additional period to secure their devices.
Microsoft also explained in an email statement to CNET that this change gives customers more time and flexibility to find the best personal computer for their needs while maintaining their protection.
This program is the only way to continue receiving security fixes to protect legacy systems from new and future threats since the company ended its official support for Windows 10 in October 2025.
It is not clear why Microsoft did not publicly reveal this extension, but perhaps the idea is to keep the matter secret so as not to discourage anyone planning to upgrade soon to Windows 11, which has been about half a decade since its launch.
But in general, extending support programs is not a strange thing, as this often happens as a result of users’ refusal or companies’ lack of readiness to implement it, but delaying this procedure seems more important this year as upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 requires more powerful hardware, in addition to a physical or software security chip known as the “Trusted Platform Module” (TPM) to operate the system.
Although years have passed since the launch of Windows 10, a large segment of users have not moved to the latest system due to new hardware requirements, or because they recently purchased used devices that do not support the upgrade.
The prices of laptops and desktop computers are rising, driven by the requirements of artificial intelligence and the large consumption by data centers of manufacturing resources that were previously allocated to consumer components, such as memory and storage units, including sudden price increases from Apple, which makes this an inappropriate time to purchase consumer electronics, and this situation is likely to continue throughout at least the next year.
The process of joining the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program is simple for users who are running at least 22H2 and have a Microsoft account, as it is available through a direct link within Windows Update.
