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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Microsoft quietly gave Windows 10 users one extra year of security updates.
  
• The company did not offer an explanation for the extension.
  
• The installed base of Windows 10 PCs is probably still enormous.

Microsoft's extension of Windows 10 security updates for a year past the official end-of-support date just got another one-year extension.

If you previously signed up for the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program, your end date has been automatically moved out one full year. If you own a Windows 10 PC and haven't signed up for the ESU program, you can do so anytime between now and October 2027. Maybe we can call it the Extended Extended Security Updates program. (For details on the sign-up process, see "How to get free Windows 10 security patches on your PC.")

Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - for free

The company snuck out the news in a pair of tiny updates to previously published articles. The official Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) page now announces, in two places, that the program will end on Oct. 12, 2027, two years after Windows 10 support officially stopped. A check of the Internet Archive reveals that the update was made sometime in the last 30 days.

There is no indication anywhere on that page that the content has changed.

Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed out that an Editor's note has now been appended to the end of a Microsoft blog post urging customers to update to Windows 11 before support ends for Windows 10:

Editor's note – June 25, 2026 – This post has been updated to reflect that the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for personal use devices is being provided for an additional year, with coverage now available through Oct. 12, 2027. This extension provides customers with more time to transition to a new Windows 11 PC while continuing to receive critical security updates.

That post was originally published on June 24, 2025. It is more than 3000 words long. There is no indication at the top of the page that the program has changed in any way or that the post has been updated.

It's almost like Microsoft was trying to bury this news on the same day Apple announced dramatic price increases for its flagship products.

But why?

Why is Microsoft being so shy about what is ultimately a consumer-friendly move?

Reason #1 is that the company really, really does not want to anger its OEM partners, who are already struggling with the near-certainty of plummeting PC sales as the AI-fueled RAM shortage drives prices sky-high, with no signs of slowing.

Also: Why your RAM options cost 4X more now than last year

Microsoft depends on those OEM customers -- Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, and a host of smaller names, including its own Surface division -- to buy new Windows licenses for use on new PCs. Encouraging customers to hang on to their old PCs for longer flies in the face of that marketing imperative.

Reason #2 is that the number of PCs still running Windows 10 is likely much higher than execs in Redmond would like. That's pure educated guesswork on my part, because Microsoft will not disclose the numbers, but there are a significant number of PCs in the installed base that are simply incapable of upgrading to Windows 11 through normal channels.

Last January, Microsoft announced that the number of monthly active users of Windows 11 had passed the 1 billion mark. That sounds like good news until you realize that there are more than 1.5 billion Windows PCs in total. Even if another 200 million of them switched to Windows 11, that's still 20% of the installed base that's stuck on Windows 10. And it's a big raw number, too: at least 300 million PCs, all destined to fall off the "security cliff" when support finally, for real, no kidding, ends.

Also: This free Windows tool shows why my PC is slowing down (and beats Task Manager)

It doesn't help that Microsoft has publicly acknowledged that its customers have been unhappy with the quality of Windows 11 and pledged to "raise the quality bar". Those improvements are slowly making their way through the release pipeline, but most of them are still in Insider builds and have yet to reach the general public.

Today's change doesn't affect corporate Windows deployments. Anyone who wants to continue running Windows 10 in a managed environment has to pay dearly for the privilege. Business ESU subscriptions are available through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program or through Microsoft's Cloud Service Provider partners.

Also: A crucial Windows security certificate just expired - how to check your PC

The business ESU subscriptions run a total of three years, through October 2028. Could we see one more extension for consumers a year from now? Don't bet against it.