Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

Extended Support “Strings” and Business Model

• Extra Windows 10 security updates require enrolling in Windows Backup (Microsoft account, cloud tie‑in) or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points (earned via Bing searches, purchases, etc.).
• Many see this as “not free”: you pay with data, time, and attention, and help Microsoft’s ad network—likened to ad‑click “serfdom,” Black Mirror, or Onion satire.
• Others note the points are trivial to earn (a few minutes per day) and even scriptable, but critics argue that normalizing this exchange is corrosive.

Hardware Limits, “Last Windows,” and Trust

• Numerous users have powerful PCs blocked from Windows 11 by TPM 2.0 or CPU lists, calling the requirements arbitrary and effectively paid upgrades via new hardware.
• Workarounds (registry edits, custom ISOs, “server” install trick, TPM enablement in BIOS) are common but fragile and don’t solve app‑level TPM dependencies.
• Strong resentment over Windows 10 being pitched as “the last version of Windows” and “lifetime of the device” support; debate over whether this was official marketing or one evangelist, but many feel the impression was deliberately fostered and later walked back.

Accounts, Telemetry, and UX Regression

• Frustration that consumer Windows 10/11 installs heavily nudge or practically force Microsoft accounts; bypasses exist but are obscure and periodically broken.
• Wider complaints: telemetry, ads in Start, browser/OneDrive pushing, AI “everywhere,” and aggressive control via updates.
• Windows 11 is seen by many as bloated with few real benefits over 10; some praise WSL2 and certain GPU improvements, but UI changes (no vertical taskbar, buggy Explorer, Electron/webview feel) are viewed as a major downgrade, partially mitigated by third‑party tools.

Alternatives, Old Versions, and Adoption

• Several commenters have already moved old machines to Linux (Mint, Fedora, Zorin, SteamOS) or macOS; experiences range from “liberating and stable” to “too much tinkering, went back to Apple/Windows.”
• Gaming is the main reason many still boot Windows; SteamOS/Proton progress makes dropping Windows increasingly tempting.
• Some still prefer Windows 7/10 and question the real‑world risk at home if behind a router, though others flag browser/outdated‑OS exploit concerns.
• The fact that ~53% of Windows PCs still run 10 so close to end‑of‑support is read by many as a failure of Microsoft’s Windows 11 push, prompting this last‑minute extension.