By Nick Gelling
Product Test Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakamātautau Hautaonga
In a win for consumers, hundreds of millions of people worldwide can continue receiving the security updates they need to keep their data safe.
It’s risky to use Windows 10 computers online unless you’re in the extended security updates (ESU) programme. The programme was due to end in October 2026, but Microsoft has quietly extended it until 12 October 2027.
How do I get the extension?
If you’re already in the ESU, you don’t have to do anything
Emails are being sent to customers already enrolled in the ESU but are filtering into inboxes you might not check.
One Consumer staffer thought the update was a phishing email when it landed in her “Junk Email” folder on Microsoft’s own email service, Outlook.
If you’re signed up but haven’t got an email, don’t worry. Your coverage will continue automatically, and the email won’t tell you anything you can’t read on this page.
I haven’t received the email yet, but some other New Zealanders have. We can all expect one soon.
If you’re not signed up for the ESU, you can join for free
If you’ve been taking your chances with an unsupported computer for the past nine months, it’s a very good time to get organised and keep yourself safe for the next 15. The longer a piece of software is outside of security support, the more the risk grows.
For most people, it only takes a few minutes to opt in to receive updates. Here’s how.
Can’t remember if you’re in the ESU? You can find out
On your Windows 10 computer, open your Start menu and search for “Windows Update settings”. It should be clear on that screen whether you’re enrolled for Extended Security Updates.
Find the perfect laptop
We've tested laptops from brands including Acer, Apple, Microsoft and more.
Why is support being extended?
More than a quarter (28%) of Windows computers worldwide are still running Windows 10. Seventy percent have migrated to Windows 11, and 2% are using even older versions. (In Oceania, the Windows 10 percentage is a little lower, at about 22%.)
We think Microsoft has recognised that despite its efforts to move everyone on, there’s still a critical mass of users on Windows 10. Abandoning them to deal with the inevitable security breaches would be a PR nightmare for the company.
Another quiet victory for Consumer supporters
In early 2025, we advocated for an extension to Windows 10 support.
We pointed out the financial, safety and environmental risks of the policy, and we presented consumers’ options for migrating away from Windows 10 – including paying to enrol in Microsoft’s ESU programme.
Following our advocacy, Microsoft made the ESU programme free to join (with strings attached) and we walked users through exactly how to enrol. Now, those users are safe for another year.
We’ve received dozens of messages of thanks over the past 18 months from New Zealanders who acted on our reporting and no longer had to choose between buying an expensive new computer or becoming vulnerable to cybercrime.
We’re a non-profit, member-funded organisation. If you want to support the work we do, you can make a donation or become a member.
