Windows 10 extended security updates are now free in Europe with no OneDrive requirement

Windows 10 will officially reach its end of support on October 14, 2025, and while Microsoft had initially announced in June that it would offer one extra year of free security updates, this was limited to users who enabled Windows Backup through Microsoft OneDrive, effectively requiring them to give OneDrive access to their personal files. Following pressure from the Euroconsumers advocacy group, Microsoft has now been forced to make these Extended Security Updates completely free and without any additional requirements for users in the European Economic Area, allowing them to continue receiving updates beyond the October 14 cutoff without enabling Windows Backup or linking their data to OneDrive.

The group argued that tying security updates to OneDrive created unnecessary obstacles and privacy concerns, while also potentially pushing users past the free storage limit and leading to new charges. With the updated policy, EEA users are no longer required to participate in Microsoft Rewards or expand their cloud storage to qualify for updates.

This change is limited to the EEA though, as users outside the region still need to enable Windows Backup, pay $30 for a year of updates, or redeem Microsoft Rewards points. EEA consumers will receive these extended updates until October 13, 2026, while businesses can pay for three additional years. Euroconsumers continues to push Microsoft to keep consumer updates available beyond the 2026 cutoff.