- Microsoft has revealed another nuance with how the additional year of free updates for Windows 10 will work
- It will require that you register in a Microsoft account continuously.
- This is to prevent someone from registering for extended updates with a Microsoft account and then changing a place for the rest of the year.
We have had another development in the saga full of turn and extended support turn for Windows 10, and an additional revelation on how the additional offer of free security updates will work that they could be so bad news for some.
Even the offer without ties that arose recently for those who live in Europe, the EEE or the European Economic Area, to be precise, requires that it log in to a Microsoft account, and it seems that this applies to more than the initial registration for the security update scheme (ESU) extended.
As reported by Windows Latest, Microsoft has confirmed that people who use the ESU program will not only need to be signed in a Microsoft account when they assume the offer, but will have to remain connected to that account at least once every 60 days.
Microsoft told the technology site: “If your MSA [Microsoft account] It is not used to log in for a period of up to 60 days, ESU updates will be suspended and must register when registered using the same MSA. “
As it is likely to know now, Windows 10 is left without support on October 14, 2025, and the ESU is the only way in which it can remain safely in the operating system, obtaining security updates until October 2026.
ANALYSIS: There is no local lagoon – type of
What does this mean in practice? This measure is established to detain those who wish to obtain extended security updates for Windows 10 after October 2025, while using a local account with the operating system. In other words, a Windows 10 installation that is not linked to a Microsoft account.
Some people could have thought that they could get the ESU when you logged in with a Microsoft account recently created on their PC, and then return to their local account and ignore that Microsoft account, essentially dodging this requirement.
However, that cannot be done, because, as noted, Microsoft will see if it remains signed in the Microsoft account linked to ESU registration.
Of course, you can register at the ESU, change to a local account, then register again two months later, then return to your local account, and so on. However, that is a discomfort, and clearly, Microsoft wants to deter those who try to falsify the requirement of having a Microsoft account for extended updates.
What is not clear is whether Microsoft will verify users outside of Europe to see if they stop synchronizing the configuration of their PC to OneDrive, which is a requirement for everyone to outside the EEE to obtain the free update offer. Those in the EEE are not subject to this stipulation due to regulations in that region, specifically the Digital Markets Law, which has forced Microsoft to modify their behavior considerably when it comes to some Windows elements. (Keep in mind that earlier this week, we also saw a clue that an important change that Microsoft made with respect to Edge and Bing in Europe could reach the rest of the world, which would be excellent news if it happens).
It is also worth noting that even those who pay for extended support, which costs $ 30 for the year, or the equivalent in their local currency, need to have a Microsoft account (and presumably are subject to the same two -month checks mentioned here).
