The end of official support for Windows 10 security updates It is near. However, if your intention is not to update Windows 11, either because you do not have a PC compatible with its strict requirements, or because you simply do not want, Microsoft offers A series of options To US and European users to obtain one more year of completely free security updates. Under these lines we tell you what options you have.
Deadline for a few weeks. Microsoft had set on October 14 as the final final of the security updates for Windows 10, which meant that from that date there would be no more free security patches. This left the more than 650 million world users who continue to use this operating system in a delicate situation, having to update Windows 11 or run out of security updates.
In Europe we win. Microsoft has enabled its domestic users two paths to get free updates. In Europe, Simply logged in With a Microsoft account to access updates for another year. After the pressure of multiple agencies in Europe, the company has confirmed that users of the European Economic Space will be able to enjoy an additional year of free security updates for Windows 10.
In the United States, not so much luck. In the United States, The options you had announced are maintained. In this case, users will have two ways to stay in Windows 10 for one more year with free security updates. On the one hand, they can upload their profiles to the Microsoft cloud and make a backup through the app Windows Backupor redeem 1,000 points of the program Microsoft Rewards. Users who are selected for the extended security updates program (ESU) will find a notice through Windows Update and can thus select the option that best suits them.
You can also pay. The other option is to pay $ 30 for an additional year. In the case of companies, the ESU program offers up to three years More updates, being more expensive than the previous one to keep the device in this operating system. In fact, in Windows 10, this program is the first time it is offered to users, being something exclusively oriented to companies so far. At the moment, domestic users will only have free updates up to one year if they choose any of the options described.
The pressure that has led to this change. The decision has not emerged from nothing. European consumer organizations have actively pressed against the end of support. The French halte a l’Obsolescence Programee launched A petition asking for free updates until 2030, while the German consumer federation warned in May that Microsoft’s decision “worries consumers and limits their ability to make free purchase decisions.”
From the Euroconsumers group, an organization dedicated to the protection of the European consumer, we can see A letter of response from the organization where they confirm that Microsoft has approved the users of the European Union to be able to obtain free security updates for another year in Windows 10 without having to do anything more than logging with a Microsoft account in the system.
Incompatible hardware. Many users find that their teams do not meet the technical requirements of Windows 11, either by The TPM 2.0 chip mandatory, or by Specific instructions of processor that are indispensable for the operation of Windows 11. The good thing is that the first thing can be raffled, but the second does not. This leaves them in the position of having to buy a new computer or risk using a system without safety updates. The free extension gives them a one -year respite to evaluate their options.
Other alternatives. However, there are also other third -party methods, such as the one that offers 0patchwho undertake to offer free security updates for Windows 10 to 2030. In addition, users can also explore alternative options such as Windows LTSC or try some Linux dystro (maybe it’s time).
What comes later. This measure is temporary and strategic, since Microsoft gains time for more users to voluntarily migrate to Windows 11 while avoiding criticism for abandoning millions of people. After this year of grace, in theory there will be no more free security updates for Windows 10 users. But who knows, Microsoft is changing again in the face of so much pressure. We’ll see.
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