Microsoft’s Free Windows Offer Deadline—Now Just 7 Weeks Away
Do not miss free update deadline
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Forget any headlines suggesting otherwise — Windows 10 is coming to an end. Yes, you can grab a year’s extended security updates (ESU), but you are being told to move to Windows 11 even if you do that. And even getting the extension is proving difficult.
October 14 is the deadline for Windows 10’s end-of-life, and Microsoft has confirmed that October’s security fixes will be the last for Windows 10. That gives 700 million users exactly 7 weeks as of today to move to Windows 11 or secure the free ESU offer.
But it’s not easy. Most Windows 10 users “won’t see the Enroll Now button for extended security updates, which is supposed to show up on the Windows Update page.” Albeit Microsoft has told Windows Latest everyone will see the toggle before the EOL.
“It’s rolling out,” is the official line.
And if you don’t have that Enroll Button “it’s impossible to subscribe to Extended Security updates.” There’s nothing you can do. “If you’ve an updated Windows installation, you’ll automatically see the toggle. No action is required from your end.”
You have until October 13 to enrol, “Microsoft is giving everyone one year to sign up for ESU, but if you don’t sign up, your PC won’t get any updates.” Do not miss the deadline. And remember, this is just bare bones security updates, not the full technical support you get now. This really is an extended runway to move to Windows 11.
Little surprise then that Microsoft’s nags to move to Windows 11 are not letting up — they’re actually intensifying as the deadline nears. You can dismiss the new warning by confirming you’re sticking with Windows 10 for now, but the nags won’t stop.
July ended with Windows 11 having an 11% gap to Windows 10, with a huge bump in the number of users switching. That gap has now closed, moving in the wrong direction from Microsoft’s perspective. Hopefully that’s just a blip, and the ESU won’t send users back to the older OS, making the October 2026 cliff edge (as it is now) worse.