Microsoft offers lifeline for Windows 10 users, but with a catch

Microsoft has been fighting the long defeat against the adoption rate of Windows 11, as the official ending of Windows 10 support ends in October this year, and more than half of Windows users are still on the previous generation OS.

2

The Redmond-based company has been attempting to sway Windows 10 users to adopt the latest operating system for the better part of its existence, with Microsoft really ramping up its efforts in the past year with in-operating system advertisements, messaging and constant public reminders.

While Windows 10's user base is trickling down it isn't decreasing at a rate that will see the majority of Windows 10 users moved over to Windows 11 before the October deadline arrives, meaning there will be millions of users left behind on machines that will no longer be receiving security updates, leaving them vulnerable to attacks as time passes.

However, that is until Microsoft's recent announcement that Windows 10 users can still continue to get security updates for their OS past the October 14 deadline for an entire year, but, of course, there is a catch. Users must agree to sync their PC settings with Microsoft's cloud via a Microsoft account through the Windows Backup tool. Alternatively, users can pay $30 per device to continue to receive security updates for a year and not have to sign in with a Microsoft account.

The extended security updates will be provided to enrolled users via a new app that is rolling out sometime in July. It should be noted the extended security update plan is just for security updates, and doesn't include technical updates or even bug fixes.