Microsoft no longer permits local Windows 10 accounts if you want Consumer Extended Security Updates — support beyond EOL requires a Microsoft Account link-up even if you pay $30

Windows 10 will reach its end-of-life by October 14, 2025, meaning it will no longer receive new features, security updates, bug fixes, and technical support after this date. Users who do not want to abandon Windows 10 yet but want to keep their systems secure must pay $30 to enroll in the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program from the company, although you can also redeem it for 1,000 Microsoft Reward points, or use it for free if you’re backing up your PC settings.

However, the ESU program will not offer a lifetime of security updates to your old Windows 10 device. Instead, it just delays the inevitable and gives you a one-year extension until October 13, 2026. Furthermore, you do not get anything else with it, like technical support, so if something goes wrong with your system, you’re on your own. Should you choose to enrol in the ESU, you also need your device to be running Windows 10 22H2 with the latest update installed and a Microsoft account.

Microsoft says that the ESU is tied to your Microsoft account, so you can use one $30 payment to keep up to ten Windows 10 computers updated for a year. However, this is also likely contentious among users who refuse to install Windows 11 because of its Microsoft account requirement. Redmond has been trying hard to get Windows users to sign up for a Microsoft account, with the company closing loopholes that let you use Windows 11 without signing up for its services. Thankfully, we still have a few available options to create a local Windows 11 account, so you don’t have to give the tech giant your information.

So, unless you’re willing to give Microsoft your information and create an account, you have no choice but to leave Windows 10 behind by October 14. This also applies to users who do not have eligible hardware, as Windows 11 refuses to support computers that do not have TPM 2.0 — but they at least have another year of security updates, if they choose to create a Microsoft account and pay the $30 fee (or redeem their Microsoft Rewards points).

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