Windows

Windows 11 end of support dates, and how to upgrade

By Matt Chapman/Published 13 October 2026/Updated 2 November 2026/5 min read

Every version of Windows 11 gets security updates for a fixed time, and then stops. The most recent cut-off was Windows 11, version 24H2 Home and Pro, on 13 October 2026. The October 2026 Patch Tuesday update was the last one those editions get. From the November update onwards, PCs still on 24H2 Home or Pro won’t receive security fixes or the optional preview updates.

Your PC won’t stop working, and nothing gets switched off. It just stops being patched, so every security hole found from now on stays open. The fix is quick for most people: move to version 26H2, which for a 24H2 PC is a small download and one restart.

This guide lists the end-of-updates date for every Windows 11 version, shows how to check which one a PC is running, and walks through the upgrade.

Which editions are affected by the 24H2 cut-off?

The 13 October 2026 cut-off applies to Windows 11, version 24H2 in these editions:

• Home
• Pro
• Pro Education
• Pro for Workstations
• Windows 11 SE (the education edition for low-cost school laptops). There’s no SE release after 24H2, so these devices have nowhere to upgrade to. Microsoft’s advice is to replace them with a device that runs another Windows 11 edition.

Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 reached the end of its updates on the same day.

Not affected yet: 24H2 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise and Enterprise multi-session. These editions get three years of updates per version instead of two, so 24H2 is supported on them until 12 October 2027.

Windows 11 end-of-updates dates

Each Windows 11 version gets 24 months of updates on Home and Pro, and 36 months on Enterprise and Education. Here’s where every version stands:

If you look after business PCs, note the next date on the list: 23H2 Enterprise and Education stop getting updates on 10 November 2026.

How to check which version you’re running

1. Press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter.
2. The window shows the version (24H2, 25H2 and so on) and the OS build. Builds starting 26100 are 24H2.

You can also go to Settings > System > About and look under Windows specifications, which shows the edition (Home, Pro and so on) as well as the version.

To check a PC remotely or from a script, this PowerShell line returns the version:

Get-ItemPropertyValue 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion' -Name DisplayVersion

How to upgrade from 24H2

Windows 11 26H2 (the “Windows 11 2026 Update”) came out on 29 September 2026. Versions 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2 are built on the same code, so Microsoft delivers 26H2 to 24H2 PCs as an enablement package (KB5121794). It’s only a few hundred kilobytes and switches on features that monthly updates have already installed. There’s no reinstall, your apps and files stay put, and it takes one restart.

1. Back up anything important first. It’s a low-risk update, but it’s still an upgrade.
2. Open Settings > Windows Update and install all the cumulative updates on offer. The enablement package needs a recent one in place before it will install.
3. Turn on Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available. Microsoft is rolling 26H2 out in phases, and this puts you nearer the front of the queue.
4. Click Check for updates. When Windows 11, version 26H2 appears, click Download & install, then restart.
5. Run winver again to confirm it now says 26H2.

If you’d rather stay one step behind the newest release, 25H2 is also fine. It’s supported on Home and Pro until 12 October 2027. But since 26H2 is the same small step and buys you the longest support, I’d go straight to it.

If the update doesn’t appear

• Policies pinning the version. On business PCs, check whether Group Policy, Intune or the registry is holding the PC on 24H2. The Group Policy setting is Select the target Feature Update version under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Update. In the registry, look for TargetReleaseVersionInfo under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate. Change it to 26H2 or remove it.
• Safeguard holds. Microsoft blocks the upgrade on PCs with known compatibility problems, often a driver. Updating drivers from the PC maker’s website can clear it, otherwise wait for the hold to lift.
• PCs that don’t meet the hardware requirements. If Windows 11 was installed by bypassing the TPM or CPU checks, Windows Update may not offer new versions at all. The honest long-term fix is supported hardware.
• Arm PCs on 26H1. Version 26H1 is a separate release for certain new Arm devices. It’s on its own update path and isn’t affected by this end date.

Still on 23H2 or Windows 10?

The small enablement package only works from 24H2 or 25H2. A PC on 23H2 (unsupported on Home and Pro since November 2025) or on Windows 10 needs a full feature update. That’s a bigger download and a longer install with several restarts, so do it when you can leave the PC alone for an hour or so. Windows Update will usually offer it, or you can use Microsoft’s Installation Assistant or the ISO for an in-place upgrade that keeps your files and apps.

Windows 10 and Windows 7

Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025. Home users could sign up for one extra year of Extended Security Updates, which ended on 13 October 2026; businesses can pay for up to three years. Windows 7 stopped getting updates on 14 January 2020, along with Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2. Any PC still running these needs upgrading or replacing, and should be kept off the internet until it is.

Microsoft’s product lifecycle site lists the support dates for all of its products.

Quick checklist

• Run winver on every PC and note any on 24H2 Home or Pro
• Back up, install the latest cumulative updates, then install 26H2
• Remove any policy pinning PCs to 24H2
• Plan replacements for Windows 11 SE laptops
• Business PCs: move 23H2 Enterprise and Education machines before 10 November 2026