Why Haven’t I Been Charged for Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates Yet?
We have received dozens of emails from folks who have signed up for the Microsoft ESU program that will provide critical security updates to Windows 10 users for one year. The ESU program will keep Windows 10 users safe from critical vulnerabilities for one year after the end-of-support date for Windows 10.
Windows 10 End of Support Date is October 14, 2025. The paid ESU coverage for consumers begins on October 15, 2025, and lasts until October 13, 2026. You can read more about Microsoft’s ESU program here.
If you haven’t been charged yet, here’s why
If you enrolled in the ESU program before it officially begins, your payment is treated like a pre-order or a license that is not yet active.
Microsoft often charges for pre-orders of digital goods (like the ESU license) very close to the actual “release date.” The date your ESU coverage starts is October 15, 2025. According to Microsoft’s general policy for digital downloads, if you use a credit card or other payment option (not Microsoft account money), they may charge at the start of the service. In other words, you can expect your charge to occur in the days leading up to or on October 15, 2025.
If you want to check the status of your ESU order, you can typically log into your Microsoft account’s order history to see the details of the ESU enrollment. You can log in to your Microsoft Account at https://account.microsoft.com/account.
We hope this helps clear things up for those who have signed up for Microsoft’s ESU program.
i clicked on something in the windows update and it said i was enrolled but i see nothing on microfsoft account that i have to pay the 30.00 ill h appily pay 30 for a year because i cant afford a new computer now and not only that id have to get someone in here to help me connect it all as im disabled and cant get on the floor under the desk to deal with all these wires im flipping out that ill lose my mailbox client etc so aggravating since i first was online in like 1995 iv ebeen through about 8 comouters already !!
Do you recall if it said in Windows Update that your files had been backed up to the cloud? If so, you should not have to pay. Maybe yours said something different than mine, though.
I checked Windows update a few days ago and it said all my files were backed up to OneDrive, and that I was entitled to a year of ESU at no charge. I just had to click to claim it. Weird, because I didn’t back those files up myself, nor was I asked to do so. In fact, I wasn’t going to go that route, so perhaps my computer was already set to do that?… I don’t know. At any rate, I’m evidently covered for a year for free. Truthfully, my laptop could run 11, so I know I’m being stubborn by keeping 10, but I do like it a lot, and I hate feeling forced into having to switch. My way of thumbing my nose at them I guess 😆. It gives me a year to decide what to do next… Opatch, upgrade, or new laptop.