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With just a few months remaining until the Windows 10 end-of-support date, Microsoft seems to have belatedly realized that owners of tens of millions of consumer PCs running Windows 10 aren't ready to replace their old computers, and they're also not about to fork over $30 for a one-year Extended Security Updates (ESU) subscription.
So today, the company waved the white flag and announced new "free enrollment options" for the ESU program, along with a description of the steps customers will need to follow to sign up. Anyone willing to try out Microsoft's cloud-based Windows Backup or spend a few minutes per day with the Bing search engine over the course of a week can avoid the $30 tariff and get that subscription for free.
The news was buried in yet another long-winded post on the Windows Blog that sings the praises of Windows 11 and encourages business customers to upgrade their old PCs, buy new ones, or migrate to cloud-based alternatives like Windows 365.
Also: Can't quit Windows 10? You can pay Microsoft for updates after October, or try these alternatives
Today's announcement applies to tens of millions of consumer PCs that are ineligible for the free Windows 11 upgrade because they don't meet compatibility requirements. Enterprise customers are ineligible for the free options and will be required to pay a significantly higher price (starting at $61 per device per year) for up to three years of a commercial ESU subscription. Those business options are available through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program today; Microsoft's Cloud Service Provider partners will be able to begin selling the commercial ESUs starting Sept. 1.
How the sign-up process for consumers will work
"An enrollment wizard will be available through Notifications and in Settings, making it easy to enroll in ESU directly from your personal Windows 10 PC," the company says. At that point, consumers will be able to choose from three options:
Use Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud.
Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
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