Windows 10 ESU Enroll: How to Sign Up and Fix a Missing Link

Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025, but home users can keep getting security updates through Microsoft’s consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Enrolling takes a few minutes once the PC is ready. This guide covers the requirements, the three ways to pay, the exact steps, and what to check when the Enroll now link does not appear. For the dates and what ESU covers, see when Windows 10 extended security updates end.

Before you start: the requirements

Microsoft’s ESU page lists these conditions. All of them need to be true:

• Windows 10 version 22H2, in the Home, Pro, Pro Education or Pro for Workstations edition. Check with winver.
• The latest Windows updates installed, including the Windows 10 ESU Licensing Preparation Package, KB5126256, which Microsoft lists as required.
• A Microsoft account that is an administrator on the PC. The ESU license is tied to that account.
• Not a child account. Microsoft accounts set up as child accounts cannot enroll.
• Not a managed device. Kiosk-mode PCs, and PCs joined to an Active Directory domain or Microsoft Entra, or enrolled in a mobile device management (MDM) system, are not offered the consumer program. A PC that is only Microsoft Entra registered can still use it.
• Personal use. Microsoft says the consumer program cannot be used in commercial scenarios. Businesses buy ESU through volume licensing instead.

The three ways to enroll

Option	Cost	What you need
Back up PC settings	No additional cost	Windows Backup syncing your PC settings to your Microsoft account
Microsoft Rewards	1,000 Rewards points	A Rewards balance on the same Microsoft account
One-time purchase	US$30 or local currency equivalent, plus applicable tax	A payment method on your Microsoft account

Microsoft’s page says the no-cost and Rewards options both provide updates through 12 October 2027. It also notes that enrollment options and timing may vary by region, such as in the European Economic Area, so check the worldwide page if you live outside the US. Microsoft states that Rewards redemptions are final, and that purchases follow its digital purchase refund policy.

How to enroll, step by step

1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Install everything offered and restart. Repeat until no more updates appear.
2. On the Windows Update page, look for the Extended Security Updates message and select Enroll now.
3. If you use a local account, Windows asks you to sign in with a Microsoft account. Use one that is an administrator on this PC.
4. If PC settings backup is already turned on for that account, you are prompted to finish enrolling at no additional cost.
5. If it is not, choose one of the options: start backing up your PC settings, redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or make the one-time purchase.
6. When it finishes, return to Windows Update. The ESU message should now show that the PC is enrolled.

Once one person on the PC has enrolled, Microsoft says other users on that same PC are covered too.

Adding more PCs to the same license

Microsoft says one ESU license can be used on up to 10 devices. On each additional Windows 10 PC, sign in with the same Microsoft account, go to Windows Update, select Enroll now and choose Add device. Each PC still has to meet the requirements above.

Enroll now link missing: what to check

If you do not see the enrollment link, go through this list:

1. Wrong version. winver must show version 22H2. Older Windows 10 versions need to update to 22H2 first.
2. Updates not finished. Keep running Check for updates until nothing is left, and make sure KB5126256 appears in View update history.
3. Account type. Sign in with a Microsoft account that is an administrator. A standard user or a child account will not see the option.
4. Work or school management. If the PC is joined to a company domain or managed by an MDM tool (look under Settings > Accounts > Access work or school), the consumer program is not available. Your organisation handles ESU for those PCs.
5. Already licensed. A PC that already has an ESU license is not offered enrollment again.
6. Edition. Enterprise, Education and LTSC editions are not on Microsoft’s consumer list.

If everything checks out and the link still does not appear, restart, check for updates once more and give it a day, since the offer can take time to show after the preparation package installs.

ESU is a bridge, not a destination

ESU only delivers security updates until 12 October 2027, and no new features. If your PC meets the Windows 11 requirements, the upgrade is free and keeps your files. Run a compatibility check and see upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. Enrolling in ESU now does not stop you upgrading later.