Microsoft has issued a reminder that Windows 11, version 24H2, Home and Pro editions will reach end of support on October 13, 2026, giving affected users roughly two months to prepare. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 will hit the same end of updates date.
“After this date, devices running these editions will no longer receive monthly security and non-security preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats,” Microsoft said in a message center notice.
Enterprise and Education get an extra year
The cutoff does not apply evenly across all editions. According to Microsoft’s support website, Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise and Education editions remain under mainstream support until October 2027, giving organizations on those SKUs more runway before they need to migrate.
Automatic upgrades for unmanaged devices
For consumer and small-business machines not under IT management, Microsoft says devices running Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro will be automatically upgraded to Windows 11 25H2 (also called the Windows 11 2025 Update). That release became generally available in September 2024 and installs as a minor update through an enablement package rather than a full OS reinstall. Users can still choose when to restart or postpone the update, and can check availability manually via Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates.
Microsoft points administrators and users to its Lifecycle Policy search tool and Windows Lifecycle FAQ page for full servicing timelines, along with a broader list of products reaching end of support in 2025.
Part of a broader wind-down
This deadline follows Microsoft’s move in November 2025 to stop shipping security updates to Windows 11 23H2 Home and Pro devices. Separately, the company quietly extended its free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program for consumers by an additional year, through October 2027, a change announced in June. Windows Server 2022 is also approaching its own mainstream end-of-support date in October 2026, after which it moves into extended support with security updates continuing through October 14, 2031.
Security teams running mixed fleets should confirm which Windows 11 24H2 edition and update ring their endpoints are on now, since Home and Pro devices left unpatched past October 13 will stop receiving fixes for newly disclosed vulnerabilities.