Microsoft is ready to leave Windows 10 behind, and security support is due to end in October. If you aren’t ready to upgrade to Windows 11, all isn’t lost. You can snag a one-year extended security update for $30, but there’s also a free option you may not have heard about. All you need to do is enable cloud backup, and connect it with your OneDrive account.
The ability to get free updates on Windows 10 is a pretty big deal because it is still the most widely used Windows OS, accounting for just over 53% of installs as of May 2025. That leaves millions of people without security support in just a month unless they upgrade. The cloud backup option gives users a way out without costing them any money.
The only potential issue is OneDrive. Anyone with a Microsoft account gets up to 5GB of storage for free. However, as The Verge points out, some backups may exceed this limitation, requiring users to purchase a monthly or yearly plan. At $2 per month for 100GB of cloud storage, a year of OneDrive still costs less than the $30 for a year of additional security updates, but it may still cause frustration among some customers.
Windows 10 was released more than a decade ago, in July 2015.
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How to get Windows 10 security updates for free
Per Microsoft’s blog post, there are now three options for those who want to stay on Windows 10 and still receive security updates:
- Use Windows Backup to sync settings to the cloud via OneDrive.
- Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. Redeeming those points can buy you one year of security updates.
- Pay $30 for the Extended Security Updates program.
These options are available now. Microsoft began offering its Extended Security Updates program in July. Signing up for this option will guarantee updates until Oct. 13, 2026, although businesses will have the option to purchase up to three years of additional updates. So, this isn’t a long-term solution, but rather gives you more time to upgrade to Windows 11.
It’s been an uphill battle for Microsoft, as people have been reluctant to upgrade their existing hardware. There are myriad differences between the two operating systems, but Microsoft’s string of unpopular decisions along with Windows 11 compatibility issues have kept the prior generation OS around a lot longer than it normally would be.
