Windows 10 Extended Security Updates not showing? How to fix it

Where the option should be

Open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update. On a PC that qualifies, there's a notice about Windows 10 reaching end of support with an Enroll now link under it. If you see a message saying the PC is already enrolled, you're done and don't need this page.

If neither shows up, go through the steps below in order. Restart after each fix and check again. Changes often don't show until after a restart.

1. Make sure it's version 22H2

ESU only covers Windows 10 version 22H2, in the Home, Pro, Pro Education, or Pro for Workstations editions. Press Windows + R, type winver, and press Enter.

• It says 22H2: good, move on.
• It says 21H2 or older: keep running Windows Update until it offers the "feature update to Windows 10, version 22H2." If it never does, the tools on Microsoft's Windows 10 download page can install 22H2 as an in-place upgrade that keeps your files and programs.
• It says LTSC or Enterprise: those editions aren't part of the home program.

2. Install every update

Microsoft says the PC needs the latest updates, including a small "ESU licensing preparation package." The enrollment option arrives through Windows Update, so a PC that's behind won't see it.

1. In Windows Update, click Check for updates and install everything, including optional ones labeled as servicing stack or licensing updates.
2. Restart, then check again. Repeat until it says you're up to date. A PC that's been ignored for a year can take three or four rounds.
3. If an update keeps failing, open Settings → Update & Security → Troubleshoot → Additional troubleshooters → Windows Update and run it.

Give it a day after the last update. Microsoft rolls things out in stages, and the link sometimes shows up a little later on its own.

3. Check your account

Open Settings → Accounts → Your info. You need all three of these:

• A Microsoft account, meaning an email address shows under your name. If it says "Local account," click Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
• Administrator written under your name. If it says "Standard user," sign in as whoever set up the PC, or have them make your account an administrator under Accounts → Family & other users.
• Not a child account. On a kid's PC, a parent has to sign in to their own account on that PC and enroll from there.

Keep signing in with that Microsoft account after you enroll. Microsoft says ESU stops if the account isn't used to sign in to the PC for 60 days.

4. Look for a work or school connection

The home program isn't offered to PCs that are joined to a company domain, joined to Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD), or enrolled in a device management system. It also isn't offered in kiosk mode. This catches a lot of used business laptops.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Access work or school.
2. If there's an entry for an organization you no longer belong to, click it and choose Disconnect. You'll need an administrator account.
3. If the PC says it's "managed by your organization" and won't let you disconnect, it was never released by its previous owner. Contact the seller or that company's IT department.

An old work email added only to Outlook or Teams doesn't count. It's the device-level connection that blocks enrollment.

5. Undo privacy and "debloat" tweaks

This one isn't in Microsoft's list, but it comes up a lot on Microsoft's own support forums. Privacy tools and "debloat" scripts often turn off Windows' diagnostic service, called Connected User Experiences and Telemetry (DiagTrack). With it disabled, the enrollment check can fail without saying anything.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Find Connected User Experiences and Telemetry. Double-click it, set Startup type to Automatic, click Start, then OK.
3. Open Settings → Privacy → Diagnostics & feedback and make sure diagnostic data isn't turned off completely. Required (sometimes called Basic) is enough.
4. Restart and check Windows Update again.

If you used a tool like O&O ShutUp10 or a debloat script, it may also have blocked Microsoft account sign-in or Windows Update settings. Most of those tools have a "restore defaults" or "undo" option.

6. Restart the services enrollment needs

Enrollment signs in to your Microsoft account and adds a license in the background, and a few Windows services have to be running for that. You can set them from an administrator Command Prompt (search for cmd, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator):

Those are the Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant, the Windows License Manager, and the diagnostic service from step 5. An "already running" message is fine. Restart afterward.

Then, still in the administrator Command Prompt, you can ask Windows to recheck eligibility on the spot:

It doesn't print much. Give it a minute, then look in Windows Update again.

If the Enroll now window opens and closes

If you can click the link but the sign-in window flashes and disappears, the problem is the sign-in pieces, not eligibility:

• Run wsreset.exe from the Start menu to reset the Microsoft Store, which handles part of the sign-in.
• Open Credential Manager from the Start menu, go to Windows Credentials, and remove saved entries that start with MicrosoftAccount. Then sign out of Windows and back in.
• Search Apps & features for Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, click Modify, then Repair.

If you pick the free Windows Backup option and it fails, try the Microsoft Rewards or $30 option to see whether the problem is with backup specifically. One $30 purchase covers up to 10 PCs on the same Microsoft account.

How to tell it worked

Windows Update should say Your PC is enrolled to get Extended Security Updates. Within the next monthly update cycle, View update history should show a security update for Windows 10 labeled as an Extended Security Update.

If you've been through all of this and it still won't appear, Microsoft's support site has a chat option under Windows. Tell them which steps you've already done, and you'll skip the first twenty minutes.

For the bigger picture, including what ESU covers and your options before it ends, see what to do about Windows 10 end of support and whether Windows 10 is still safe.