Microsoft Caves, Offers Europeans Free Windows 10 Security Updates

European consumers will receive free updates until Oct. 13, 2026, after which support will officially end. Businesses can purchase extended updates for up to three years.

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 users in the European Economic Area (EEA) will receive an extra year of free security updates without enabling Windows Backup. The change comes after pressure from the Euroconsumers group, which said Microsoft should help Windows 10 users in Europe as the system nears the end of support.

Until now, free access to Extended Security Updates (ESU) has required turning on Windows Backup, which is tied to a Microsoft Account and OneDrive. This could push users to exceed the 5GB of free cloud storage, so they'll have to purchase extra space.

Euroconsumers criticized the requirement as unfair, and Microsoft has now agreed to drop it in the EEA. In a statement sent to Windows Central, a Microsoft spokesperson ...