Extended Security Updates for EEA Consumers After October 2025
Microsoft has agreed to give consumers in the European Economic Area (EEA) no-strings-attached extended support for Windows 10, just weeks before the operating system officially reaches its end of life.
The move follows pressure from Euroconsumers, a Luxembourg and Brussels-based consumer rights group, which argued that Microsoft’s earlier plans violated EU digital regulations and sustainability goals.
From Paid Updates to Free Support
Initially, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 users worldwide could access one year of Extended Security Updates (ESU) after the October 14, 2025 deadline—if they paid a one-off fee of $30. Later, in June 2025, the company offered a “free” path, but only if users redeemed Microsoft Reward Points or backed up their settings via Windows Backup.
Euroconsumers rejected these conditions, stating they were not compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) or the Digital Content Directive. In July, it formally wrote to Microsoft, urging it to drop the requirements.
Microsoft Relents
Correspondence seen by The Register shows that Microsoft has since backed down. A letter from Euroconsumers’ head of litigation, Marco Scialdone, confirms that Windows 10 users in the EEA will now receive a completely free ESU option, requiring nothing more than a Microsoft account.
“We are pleased to learn that Microsoft will provide a no-cost Extended Security Updates (ESU) option for Windows 10 consumer users in the European Economic Area,” Scialdone wrote. He added that dropping conditions such as mandatory backups or Rewards participation addressed their key DMA concerns.
Not the End of the Debate
However, Euroconsumers says Microsoft still hasn’t gone far enough. Limiting support to just one extra year contradicts the Digital Content Directive and runs counter to EU sustainability goals.
Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements—particularly the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0—mean millions of older but functional PCs cannot upgrade. According to Euroconsumers, around 850 million devices still run Windows 10, with 22 percent of users relying on machines from 2017 or earlier.
Scialdone noted that earlier transitions, such as from Windows 7 or 8 to 10, didn’t force hardware upgrades and followed longer support timelines.
What About the UK?
The concession currently applies only within the EEA. Whether UK users will benefit remains unclear, as Microsoft has yet to issue a formal statement.
Euroconsumers says it will continue pushing Microsoft over the next year for broader device protection and longer OS lifecycles—possibly up to 15 years, as some campaigners urge.
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