Windows 11 24H2 stops getting updates for Home and Pro on 13 October. Microsoft shipped 26H2 this week.
Microsoft released Windows 11 version 26H2 on 29 September. Its own lifecycle table lists 13 October 2026 as the end of updates for version 24H2 on Home and Pro, the editions most small businesses run.
Microsoft released Windows 11 version 26H2, the Windows 11 2026 Update, on 29 September 2026. John Cable, Microsoft's vice president of product management for Windows servicing and delivery, wrote that it "is now available for eligible devices running Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2". The date that matters more for most small businesses is in Microsoft's release information table, updated the same day: version 24H2 on Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations reaches end of updates on 13 October 2026. That is also October's Patch Tuesday, the second Tuesday of the month when Microsoft ships its monthly security updates.
Who it affects
Windows 11 feature updates come with 24 months of support on Home and Pro editions and 36 months on Enterprise and Education. Version 24H2 arrived on 1 October 2024, so Pro machines on it run out first; on Enterprise and Education it is supported until 12 October 2027. Version 23H2 on Home and Pro has already reached end of updates. For comparison, Microsoft lists 25H2 on Home and Pro as supported until 12 October 2027 and 26H2 until 10 October 2028. A PC that stays on 24H2 Pro will keep working after 13 October. It will stop receiving security fixes.
What the move involves
For devices already on 24H2 or 25H2, 26H2 arrives as an enablement package, which Microsoft says "activates new features already included in the operating system" through earlier monthly updates, so it is a small download and a single restart. BleepingComputer, reporting the release on 29 September, quoted Microsoft's guidance that for organisations already on 24H2 or 25H2 "the update to 26H2 is similar to a regular monthly update in most environments". Individual users get it through Settings, Windows Update, with "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" turned on, and Microsoft says it is rolling out gradually, with safeguard holds where it finds compatibility problems. For business PCs it is available through Windows Autopatch and the Microsoft 365 admin center, and Microsoft recommends "targeted deployments to validate applications, devices, and business-critical workflows" before a wider rollout.
The exception
Some new PCs released this year run version 26H1, which Microsoft describes as "scoped to support new devices that started coming to market in early 2026". It is a separate branch. Microsoft says it is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2, and BleepingComputer notes that devices on 26H1 cannot move directly to 26H2. Microsoft lists 26H1 on Home and Pro as supported until 14 March 2028, so those machines are not affected by the 13 October date.
What this means for your business
Find out what version every PC in the business is running. Typing winver into the Start menu shows it on each machine; if your PCs are managed centrally, whoever manages them can pull the list in one go. Any Home or Pro machine still on 24H2 needs to move to 25H2 or 26H2, and Microsoft's own advice is to try it on a few machines with your key software before doing the rest. Then ask why a machine was still on 24H2 two years after it came out, because that usually points to updates that nobody is watching. If you want help with that audit, it is the kind of work we do for businesses across Exeter and the South West.
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