Consumer Reports has formally petitioned Microsoft to provide free security updates for Windows 10 after the October 14, 2025 end-of-support deadline, especially for the hundreds of millions of PCs that cannot meet Windows 11’s hardware requirements. The nonprofit product-testing organization sent a letter to CEO Satya Nadella, arguing that the current consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program—which charges $30 or ties eligibility to unrelated Microsoft services—penalizes users unable to upgrade and risks a massive security crisis.

What Consumer Reports Is Asking For

In the letter, Consumer Reports asks Microsoft to:

  • Extend free security updates for all Windows 10 users who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 because their hardware doesn’t meet system requirements.
  • Simplify or remove the unconventional enrollment methods for the free ESU option that require linking a Microsoft account or redeeming Rewards points—moves the organization calls “unnecessary hoops” that force consumer participation in unrelated Microsoft products.
  • Provide clearer, privacy-respecting pathways for lower-income households, schools, and small organizations that may lack the resources to migrate quickly or pay the fee.

The advocacy group emphasizes that Microsoft’s own data points to a vast installed base still on Windows 10, and that the company’s current plan converts critical security patches into a paywall or a cloud-account gating mechanism.

What Microsoft Is Offering Now: The Consumer ESU Explained

On October 14, 2025, routine monthly security patches and technical support for Windows 10 Home and Pro will end. To soften the landing, Microsoft created a one-year consumer ESU program that delivers only security updates—no new features, no design changes—until October 13, 2026. Enrollment happens through three routes:

  • Free via Windows Backup: Sync device settings to a Microsoft account using the Windows Backup app. This links the PC to your cloud identity and requires you to enable backup sync.
  • Free via Microsoft Rewards: Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, which typically requires using Bing, Xbox, or other Microsoft services to accumulate points.
  • Paid license: A one-time purchase reported to cost $30, which covers up to 10 PCs under the same Microsoft account.

Enterprises and education customers have a separate, multi-year ESU program that can extend up to three years with paid subscriptions, but that path isn’t available to everyday consumers. The one-year consumer extension offers only a temporary bridge, with no guaranteed second year for individuals.

The Hardware Trap: Why Hundreds of Millions of PCs Can’t Upgrade

The core of the conflict lies in Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements, introduced in 2021. To install Windows 11 through official, supported channels, a PC needs:

  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 enabled
  • UEFI firmware with Secure Boot capability
  • A processor on Microsoft’s approved CPU list (generally Intel 8th generation or newer, AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer)
  • At least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage

Many computers sold as recently as 2020 and even early 2021 lack TPM 2.0 or the required processor generation. Consumer Reports and other sources estimate that 200 million to 400 million PCs worldwide are stranded—perfectly functional but unable to run Windows 11 in a supported configuration. The organization notes that Microsoft and its partners continued selling Windows 10 machines that couldn’t upgrade well into 2023.

The Scale of the Problem by the Numbers

Consumer Reports cites Microsoft’s own estimate of 1.4 billion Windows users globally. With a mid-2025 market share snapshot putting Windows 10 at roughly 46.2% of those devices, that translates to about 646.8 million people still running the aging OS. Independent trackers paint a similar picture, placing Windows 10’s share in the mid-40s percent range throughout summer 2025.

Even if a fraction of those machines are secondary devices or never connected to the internet, the population heading toward the cliff is enormously large—easily in the hundreds of millions. If even a small portion of those computers remain unpatched, the public-safety consequences could be severe.

What This Means for You

If you’re a home user on Windows 10

You have two fundamental choices before October 14: move to Windows 11 (if your hardware supports it) or secure continued patches through the consumer ESU. If you upgrade, you’ll get a modern OS with ongoing feature and security updates for years to come. If you stay on Windows 10 and enroll in ESU, your machine will receive only security fixes for one year, after which you must either replace the PC, pay for another ESU period if Microsoft offers one, or accept the risk of an unsupported operating system.

Enrolling in the free ESU via Windows Backup is the simplest path, but it requires a Microsoft account and cloud sync—a deal-breaker for privacy-conscious users. The Rewards route forces you into Microsoft’s ecosystem even if you don’t use Bing or Xbox, which Consumer Reports calls an unfair trade. The $30 paid license is the most straightforward: you pay once, get updates for up to 10 PCs, and avoid account tie-ins, but that fee can still be a burden for low-income households.

If you’re a small business or school IT admin

You likely need to purchase commercial ESU licenses if you choose to stay on Windows 10. Those SKUs are sold through the volume licensing channel and offer up to three years of security updates. Evaluate whether your fleet can be refreshed within that window, and weigh the costs of extended support against new hardware with Windows 11.

For small nonprofits or cash-strapped schools, the commercial ESU pricing may be prohibitive. Consumer Reports specifically called out the need for equitable solutions for these groups, urging Microsoft to offer grants, deeper discounts, or extended free coverage.

If your PC can’t run Windows 11 at all

You’re caught in the middle. You can enroll in the consumer ESU program to buy yourself a year of safety, but you’ll face the same dead end in October 2026. After that, your machine will no longer receive security patches, leaving it increasingly vulnerable. For those willing to learn a new operating system, Linux distributions or Chrome OS Flex can give older hardware a second life with modern security support—often free of charge and without the restrictive hardware requirements.

How We Got Here

Windows 10 launched in 2015 with a promise that it would be the “last version of Windows,” implying a long-term support model more like Apple’s macOS. Instead, Microsoft pivoted to Windows 11 in 2021, bringing a major platform security reboot centered on hardware-backed roots of trust: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and virtualization-based security. The move was defensible on security grounds—TPM protects encryption keys and credentials, while Secure Boot prevents low-level malware—but it instantly orphaned tens of millions of PCs that were still within their useful life.

Microsoft initially set Windows 10’s retirement for October 14, 2025, with no consumer ESU option at all. After pushback, the company crafted the three-path consumer ESU program announced in late 2024. Yet the structure of that program—mixing free and paid tiers and attaching free access to other Microsoft products—has drawn criticism from consumer advocates and tech press alike. The Thurrott.com report that broke the Consumer Reports letter notes that the organization’s intervention aims to force Microsoft to reconsider its lifecycle boundaries when safety, equity, and environmental costs are at stake.

What You Can Do Right Now

  1. Check your PC’s compatibility with Windows 11. Download and run Microsoft’s PC Health Check app from the official Windows 11 page. It will tell you whether your processor, TPM, and Secure Boot meet the requirements. If the check flags TPM or Secure Boot, these may be disabled in BIOS/UEFI settings—often a simple toggle can bring you into compliance.

  2. If you’re eligible, upgrade to Windows 11 before October 14. The upgrade is still free for Windows 10 users with a valid license. Give yourself time to adjust to the new interface and test your essential applications.

  3. If you can’t upgrade, choose an ESU path that respects your privacy and budget.
    - Privacy-first: Buy the $30 license through your Microsoft account. No cloud sync, no Rewards activity required. This covers up to 10 PCs and gives you one year of security patches. Purchase before October 14 to ensure uninterrupted coverage.
    - Budget-constrained: If you’re comfortable linking a Microsoft account, the Windows Backup route is free and automatic once you enable sync. Just be aware your settings will be stored in the cloud.
    - Rewards-savvy: If you already accumulate Microsoft Rewards points, redeeming 1,000 points is effectively free. Start now if you don’t have enough—you’ll need to engage with Bing or other Microsoft services.

  4. Prepare for the longer-term cliff. If your hardware is permanently stuck on Windows 10, mark October 2026 on your calendar. Start researching alternative operating systems (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Chrome OS Flex) that can run well on old hardware and receive ongoing security updates. Test them on a spare machine or USB drive before committing.

  5. For organizations and schools: Contact your Microsoft reseller or Volume Licensing representative to purchase commercial ESU SKUs for the devices you plan to keep. Begin piloting Windows 11 on compatible hardware now to reduce the number of machines needing extended support.

Outlook

Consumer Reports’ letter amplifies a debate that will likely intensify as the October deadline nears. Regulators in the EU and US have shown increasing interest in how tech companies manage product lifecycles, particularly when security externalities harm consumers. While Microsoft has not publicly responded to the letter as of this writing, the company has historically adjusted support timelines under pressure (it extended Windows 7 ESU availability multiple times for enterprises). Whether the company will budge on consumer ESU fees or make the free route more privacy-friendly remains to be seen, but the millions of users left behind make this a story worth following closely.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking. Every Windows 10 user should run the compatibility check, evaluate their options, and have a plan before October 14, 2025. The worst case is doing nothing and waking up on patch Tuesday to an unprotected PC.