When Windows 10 reaches its planned end of support next month, European users will get something their counterparts around the world will not: genuinely free security updates for an extra year. This is not generosity from Microsoft. It is the result of sustained pressure from European consumer advocacy groups that chipped away at Microsoft’s ecosystem lock-in strategy.
So, how did Europe force the pivot, and what does it mean for the hundreds of millions still on Windows 10?
The original "free" options were not really free
When Windows 10 support ends on October 14, 2025, Microsoft set out three paths. Pay $30 for Extended Security Updates, or pick one of two so-called free alternatives. Free, with strings.
Option one asked you to turn on Windows cloud backup with a Microsoft account, which runs through OneDrive. Sounds fine, right? Not quite. Windows Backup depends on a Microsoft Account and OneDrive, which can force users beyond the free 5GB storage allowance by backing up documents and configurations. Hit the cap, and you are nudged to pay for more storage.
Option two let you trade 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. No credit card, but not costless. You earn those points by doing Microsoft-centric tasks for weeks, searches and surveys and more. Time is money, as the saying goes.
It is a catch that benefits Microsoft. Push users toward paid OneDrive tiers or keep them engaged inside the rewards loop. Clever business, frustrating for consumers.
European pressure forces Microsoft’s hand
Enter Euroconsumers, a large Luxembourg-based consumer protection organization that represents a consumer base of 1.5 million households across Europe and Brazil. They did not just fire off an angry letter. They brought legal muscle and a track record.
Their argument hinged on the Digital Markets Act, the DMA. Tying access to essential security updates to Microsoft services raised doubts about compliance with Article 6(6). The law was designed to stop this sort of thing, to safeguard against unlawful bundling and restricting consumer choice.
The stakes were high. Euroconsumers called Microsoft’s setup planned obsolescence. And if the DMA finds you in violation, the fines bite. Microsoft could be forced to pay up to 10 percent of their global annual turnover. Not pocket change, we are talking billions.
Microsoft’s complete reversal in Europe
Under that pressure, Microsoft flipped. Microsoft will offer free extended security updates for Windows 10 users in the European Economic Area, the EEA, which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and all 27 European Union member states. Importantly, no backup of settings, apps, or credentials is required, and no Microsoft Rewards either.
The runway is real. Consumers in Europe will get extended security updates for Windows 10 until October 13th, 2026, an extra year to plan upgrades without paying or jumping through hoops.
And here is the kicker: these changes are only being made in the European Economic Area though, so everywhere else will still need to either enable Windows Backup or pay $30 for the year or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Reward points. Geography now decides how you stay secure.
Microsoft kept the tone diplomatic, saying, “In the European Economic Area, we’re making updates to the enrollment process to ensure it meets local expectations and delivers a secure, streamlined experience”. Microsoft confirmed a general change in policy to comply with local laws to Windows Central. Translation: European regulators have teeth, and Microsoft chose not to take a bite.
The broader implications for Windows users
This moment says a lot about where tech policy is headed. European digital rights rules are not just about browsers or app stores, they now shape support lifecycles for operating systems millions rely on daily.
Look at the hardware reality. Around 200 to 400 million PCs can’t be upgraded to Windows 11 due to missing hardware requirements. Twenty-two percent of EU PC owners still run a Windows device from 2017 or earlier. And these machines are not relics in a closet. According to Consumer Reports, more than 95% of all laptop and desktop computers purchased since the beginning of 2019 and owned for no more than five years were still in use.
The environmental angle is hard to ignore. Campaigners warn that if even a fraction of those systems end up scrapped, they could create more than 700 million kilograms of e-waste, about 70 Eiffel Towers’ worth. All while nudging people to buy new hardware. The timing adds sting, Windows 10 support ends on International E-waste Day.
What this means for the future
Microsoft’s European reversal sets a precedent for end-of-life policies on critical software. It shows the company can provide truly free extended support when the law demands it.
Others are taking notes. Consumer Reports is calling on Microsoft to extend the October 14th deadline. A Public Interest Research Group, PIRG, has also petitioned for an extended deadline, warning that as many as 400 million perfectly good computers that cannot upgrade to Windows 11 will be thrown out.
There is a lesson in tactics here too. The company took this decision following pressure from Euroconsumers. Organized consumer pushback, when paired with strong digital rights law, can make even the biggest players blink.
For Windows 10 users outside the EEA, the result is bittersweet. Encouraging, because the technical path to free updates clearly exists. Frustrating, because your postal code now decides if you pay $30, feed Microsoft’s ecosystem, or run unpatched.
It also revives the debate over planned obsolescence in software. When capable hardware becomes obsolete not because it failed, but because support ended, we manufacture scarcity and waste. Europe, using the DMA, is testing a counterweight. Maybe that model travels, maybe it does not.
Bottom line: consumer pressure with legal backing can still move Big Tech. For now, European Windows 10 users have banked an extra year of genuinely free security updates, no strings attached.
Comments
Be the first, drop a comment!