End of Windows 10: the well hidden tip to avoid Windows 11 and stay protected until 2026

Microsoft has fixed The end of Windows support October 10 to 14, 2025. A date feared by millions of users who have not migrated to Windows 11 – by preference, by material constraint, or by pure inertia. Good news: the Redmond firm has unveiled a series of options to continue to receive the precious security updates. And some are surprisingly accessible, even from France.

First surprise: Extended Security Updates (ESU), these critical fixes that Microsoft used to only invoic businesses, will be accessible to the general public. You will have to pay $ 30 (around € 28), or better still: get them for free thanks to 1,000 Microsoft Rewards Points. A loyalty program already active in France, where the most assiduous can combine points by carrying out research on Bing, playing on Xbox, or by buying on the Microsoft Store. Those who left them sleeping in a corner of their account may suddenly see a new value.

Second option: activate your PC backup via OneDrive, which Microsoft presents as a “Transition help”. In exchange, you get a year of free security updates. Practical for those who plan to extend the life of their machine without paying a penny.

Technically, recording on the ESU program will go through an assistant integrated in Windows, first accessible to members of the Insider program in July, then to all users from mid-August 2025. Nothing obliges you to go to Windows 11 In the immediate future, but beware: past October 2026, no more updates will be guaranteed without renewal.

Microsoft therefore spares the end of life of Windows 10 with more flexibility than anticipated. A welcome – but temporary respite. And for those who prefer not to depend on the Redmond roadmap, Linux remains a credible, free and always more accessible alternativeespecially on older machines.