Published on October 2, 2026 · The mitza.es team
Windows 10 stopped receiving general support in October 2025, yet millions of machines still run it in offices, workshops and shops. On 25 June 2026, Microsoft updated its documentation for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme and extended consumer coverage by another year: until 12 October 2027. There was no formal announcement; the change appeared as an editor's note on a Windows blog post and on the support pages, as reported by BleepingComputer.
It pays to read it carefully, because the headline "one more year of patches" doesn't apply the same way to a home laptop as to a company's PCs.
What ESU actually covers (and what it doesn't)
ESU delivers only critical and important security fixes through Windows Update. It includes no new features, improvements or general technical support. It's a bridge to buy time, not a way to stay on Windows 10 indefinitely. Anyone already enrolled stays covered automatically until the new date, with nothing to do.
Consumers: three ways to enrol and the European exception
For the consumer programme, Microsoft keeps three ways to activate coverage: syncing the device's settings to a Microsoft account at no extra cost, redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or paying a one-time fee of $30. A single licence covers up to ten devices linked to the same account.
In the European Economic Area, which includes Spain, there was also a free route that only requires signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account. BleepingComputer reports it for the current programme, but it doesn't say whether that exception also runs to October 2027, and we haven't found explicit confirmation from Microsoft. Before assuming a machine is covered until 2027, check its status under Settings > Windows Update rather than trusting a date.
Businesses: the consumer programme probably isn't yours
This is the fine print that affects a small business most. According to BleepingComputer, the consumer programme excludes devices joined to an Active Directory domain or to Microsoft Entra, or managed through an MDM solution (devices merely registered in Entra can qualify). In other words, if your machines are managed, the route that applies to you is commercial ESU.
Commercial ESU is paid per device per year, with a price that doubles each year: $61 for the first year, $122 for the second and $244 for the third, adding up to $427 per device over the three years and covering updates until October 2028. The consumer extension doesn't change these terms. With the first year of business ESU ending in October 2026, the per-device cost is about to double.
- Year 1: $61 per device.
- Year 2: $122 per device.
- Year 3: $244 per device.
ESU or replace your PCs: how to decide
ESU makes sense as a temporary fix, not as a strategy. From the second year on, keeping an old machine on ESU can approach the cost of replacing it, and you're still on a system with no improvements. A practical way to decide:
- Take inventory. How many machines run Windows 10, how old they are and what they're used for.
- Check whether they can run Windows 11. Among other requirements it needs TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a compatible processor; many machines that are five or six years old don't qualify.
- Split them into three groups. Those that can be upgraded, those worth expanding or repairing, and those that should be replaced now.
- Use ESU only for the third group while the replacement arrives, with a clear end date.
If you do have to replace machines, keep in mind that memory and storage prices aren't at their best, as we explained in the RAM and SSD price crisis. It's worth planning the purchase rather than improvising it when coverage runs out.
The risk of doing nothing
A machine without security patches is an open door, and attacks on Spanish small businesses keep growing: we saw it in our analysis of ransomware in Spanish businesses. Keeping your fleet up to date is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce that risk, and it also fits the demands of NIS2 if your company supplies other businesses.
How we can help
If you're not sure which machines in your company still run Windows 10, or you'd rather have someone assess what can be upgraded and what should be replaced, our computer repair and tune-up service includes that review. If you're in Valdemoro or nearby, we also offer IT maintenance in Valdemoro for small businesses and freelancers, with close support and regular reviews of your fleet.
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