Windows 10 diehards who want security updates for free get a stay of execution, but there's a convoluted catch

Windows 10 is officially dead to Microsoft come October 14. Microsoft had said you'd need to cough up $30 to a year to add another year of security updates. But now there's a way to keep your install of Win 10 safe for free. But it's a little convoluted.

Microsoft says you can now have that extra 12 months of “critical” and “important” security updates via the Extended Security Updates program for no charge provided you use Windows Backup to sync your Windows settings to OneDrive. The catch is that you only get 5 GB of One Drive storage for free. So, that severely limits your backup options.

Alternatively, you can also use 1000 Microsoft Rewards points. How do you earn Microsoft rewards points, you cry? Apparently, by using Bing search on your PC or phone, browsing the web with Microsoft Edge with same, playing on your Xbox and shopping on the Microsoft store.

Of course, security support will still end in October 2026. And you won't be getting any feature updates. But it won't be an immediate catastrophe. Microsoft will continue to update Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 right up until October 2028. So, you'll have basic defences against viruses, trojans, and the like until then.

But the walls are rather closing in on Windows 10. More to the point, the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is actually free. So, unless you have some very particular hardware that can't be upgraded, now seems like a pretty good time to pull the trigger.

Incidentally, if you're intimidated by the prospect of installing a new copy of Windows, don't be. It's actually very easy. For proof, why not consult Dave's step-by-step video guide to whacking a clean install of Win 11 on your PC.

One final option is to use third-party security support. Security outfit 0patch claims to effectively extend Windows 10's lifespan by at least five years with its own security updates. What's more, unlike Microsoft's Windows Update service, which is famously intrusive, usually requires rebooting and can eat up a lot of time, 0patch takes a different approach.

0patch delivers miniature patches of code or "micropatches” without the need reboot. Its updates are said to be as easily reversible as they are installable, making it straightforward to undo any changes that cause problems. Personally, if at all possible I'd just make the jump to Win 11.