Microsoft Confirms Free Update Offer For All Windows Users

This update is coming soon.

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There’s a quiet backlash building up in Windows-land. The uber-popular Windows 10 hits end of life in just six weeks, and hundreds of millions of PC owners are facing down the stark threat of a PC with no security updates. The answer — a free 12-month security extension — is on offer, but even that rollout has been dismissed as “chaotic.”

That latest warning comes from Windows Central, which says that while “Windows 10 is clinging to life, Microsoft’s chaotic ‘ESU’ rollout and relentless Windows 11 ads are making its final days worse, frustrating millions.”

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The reality check is simple. Windows 10 will end its life on October 14. The 12-month ESU is simply a stop-gap, giving users more time to move to Windows 11. But move to Windows 11 they must, like it or not. And for millions, it is clearly a “not.”

The ESU comes by way of an “enroll” button on the Windows 10 update panel. The good news, per Windows Central, is that Microsoft has confirmed the ESU program “is rolling out in waves and will be available to all by October 14, 2025.”

Chances are you don’t have it yet — but at least you’re being assured it will come before the deadline. The advice to users is to enroll by October 13, or it may not be available.

“It’s rolling out,” is the official line, as reported by Windows Latest. “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 need to just wait and see.

The next major Windows 10 update is expected on September 9. The assumption is that all Windows users should get it by then. That will give you a month to pick your option — with most going for the Microsoft Account/ OneDrive free extension.

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“The Enroll button is seemingly rolling out in waves,” Windows Central says. “And so far, there’s nothing you can do to trigger it or make it appear faster.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is upping the pressure on users to move to Windows 11, with new nags that seemingly won’t stop. And in the background, the 11% gap Windows 11 had opened up on its older sibling by July 31 has now all but disappeared.