Extended Windows 10 support means ditching your local account for a Microsoft Account

The drum heralding the end of support for Windows 10 has been beaten almost to death, but even at this late stage there is more news about the death of the operating system.

With the mid-October date for mainstream support fast-approaching, there are still plenty of people using Windows 10. Some have opted to take up Microsoft on its last-minute offer of extended support – but a new catch has just been revealed.

With just two months to go, Microsoft has suddenly announced that in order to take advantage of extended Windows 10 support, you not only need to pay, you need to create a Microsoft Account. While this may seem like a minor requirement, there are many people who are significantly happier using Windows 10 with a local account instead.

What will prove particularly vexing for some is the fact that the requirement to have a Microsoft account even applies if you are paying Microsoft for an extension to support.

As noted by Windows Central, this caveat was spotted in a support document, and it is something that was not made clear in any of the previous communication from Microsoft about extended support.

The support document says:

All enrollment options provide extended security updates through October 13, 2026. You will need to sign into your Microsoft account in order to enroll in ESU. You’ll be given these options to choose from when you enroll in the ESU program. You can use your existing ESU license on up to 10 devices.

Continued support for Windows 10

The fact that a single Microsoft Account can be used with up to ten devices softens the blow a little, but it will still cause a degree of ire.

Microsoft does not explain the reason for the requirement, but – despite conspiracy theories suggesting something nefarious – it is almost certainly little more than a simple way for Microsoft to track and administer devices that are eligible to receive extended support.

Whether or not users manage to find a way around this – as so often happens – remains to be seen.

How do you feel about this? Are you a Windows 10 hanger-on who has managed to avoid creating a Microsoft Account so far? Will this be enough to make you begrudgingly create one? Or perhaps it will push you to Windows 11 – or maybe macOS or Linux. Share your reaction in the comments.

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