Windows 11 24H2 End of Support: What Happens on October 13

Short answer: Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro (including Pro Education, Pro for Workstations and SE) reach end of updates (end of support) on October 13, 2026. After that date Microsoft stops shipping security updates, quality fixes and time zone updates for those editions on 24H2. Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 stay supported until October 12, 2027. To stay protected on Home or Pro, move to Windows 11 version 25H2. On a 24H2 PC that is a small enablement package from Windows Update and one restart.

What stops on October 13, 2026

Microsoft’s Windows 11 24H2 release health page puts it plainly: once Home and Pro editions of 24H2 reach end of updates, they “will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or monthly security and preview updates.”

Microsoft ships Windows 11 security updates on the second Tuesday of each month. October 13, 2026 is that Tuesday, and it is the end-of-updates date Microsoft lists for 24H2 Home and Pro. Anything Microsoft patches after that date will not reach a Home or Pro PC that is still on 24H2.

Nothing in Microsoft’s notice says the PC stops working. It keeps booting and running your apps. What ends is the flow of fixes, which matters more each month as new vulnerabilities are published.

Windows 11 24H2 end of support: who is affected

Windows 11 feature updates get 24 months of support on Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations and Pro Education, and 36 months on Enterprise and Education. That is why the same version number ends on different dates depending on your edition.

Dates come from Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information page and the Home and Pro and Enterprise and Education lifecycle pages. IoT Enterprise is not supported on 26H1.

Two groups need extra attention:

• Windows 11 SE. Microsoft’s lifecycle page notes that 24H2 was the last supported version for the SE edition, so SE devices have no newer version to move to.
• Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024. It is also built on 24H2 but follows its own schedule. Microsoft lists end of updates on October 9, 2029 for Enterprise LTSC 2024. Extended support until October 10, 2034 applies only to IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024.

How to check which version you have

1. Press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter. The window shows the version (for example “Version 24H2”) and the OS build.
2. Or open Settings > System > About and look under Windows specifications for edition and version.

The build number tells you the same thing. Builds starting with 26100 are 24H2, 26200 is 25H2 and 28000 is 26H1. If you see 24H2 together with Home or Pro, this deadline applies to you.

How to move from 24H2 to 25H2

Versions 24H2 and 25H2 share the same core operating system and the same system files. The 25H2 features are already on a patched 24H2 PC in a dormant state. Microsoft’s enablement package (KB5054156) switches them on, and it needs a single restart.

1. Back up anything you cannot replace. The update is small, but a backup costs you nothing.
2. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
3. If your device is ready, you will see Download and install for Windows 11, version 25H2. Select it.
4. Restart when prompted. Run winver again and confirm it now says 25H2 with a build starting 26200.

Home and Pro PCs that are not managed by an IT department receive 25H2 automatically, according to Microsoft. You can pick the restart time or postpone it. If you have paused updates, resume them before the deadline.

One prerequisite matters: the enablement package requires the August 29, 2025 cumulative update (KB5064081, build 26100.5074) or later. A 24H2 PC that has been installing monthly updates already has it.

If Windows Update does not offer 25H2

Work through these in order:

• Install pending updates first. The enablement package depends on a recent cumulative update. Keep checking until Windows Update shows nothing pending.
• Look for a known issue. Microsoft publishes holds and known issues on the 25H2 release health page. If one affects your device, the offer is held until it is fixed.
• Work PCs. If the PC is managed by an employer or school, the IT department decides when feature updates arrive. Ask them.
• Use Microsoft’s own media. The Windows 11 download page currently offers the 2025 Update (version 25H2) through the Installation Assistant, the Media Creation Tool and an ISO. These run a full setup, not the one-restart enablement package, so plan more time and back up first.

PCs running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

If you installed Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the minimum requirements, the deadline is the same, but your position is weaker. Microsoft states that such devices “aren’t guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates,” and that they won’t receive support from Microsoft.

Your realistic options:

• Check Windows Update first. If it offers 25H2, take it the same way as above.
• If it does not, the only way to 25H2 is a full install from 25H2 media, and setup runs its hardware checks again. We cover the documented methods, their limits and the risks in how to install Windows 11 25H2 on an unsupported PC.
• Check what is actually failing. Some “unsupported” PCs only need TPM or Secure Boot switched on in firmware. Our guide to PC Health Check results explains each failure and what you can fix yourself.
• Staying on 24H2 is not a plan. The PC keeps running, but it stops receiving security fixes after October 13, 2026.

If you are still on Windows 10 because your PC cannot run Windows 11, that is a different program with different dates. See Windows 10 ESU: how to get security updates until October 2027.

What this guide does not do

• We do not host Windows files. Every download link on this page goes to Microsoft.
• We do not offer ways to extend 24H2 Home or Pro support. Microsoft’s 24H2 release health page lists no extension option for them and points Home and Pro users to 25H2.
• We do not recommend the 26H1 release as an escape route. It ships only on certain new devices and is not offered as an update to existing PCs. Our comparison of 25H2 vs 26H1 explains why.

Questions people ask about the 24H2 deadline

Will my PC stop working after October 13, 2026?

No. Microsoft’s notice only describes updates and support ending. The PC keeps running, but without new security fixes.

Is 25H2 a large download?

Not on a patched 24H2 PC. Microsoft delivers it as an enablement package, a small “master switch” that turns on features already present, followed by one restart.

Does moving to 25H2 reinstall Windows?

No. Microsoft describes 24H2 and 25H2 as sharing a common core with an identical set of system files. The package activates features and updates the version number. Back up anyway, as you would before any update.

How long will 25H2 be supported?

Until October 12, 2027 for Home and Pro, and October 10, 2028 for Enterprise and Education.

Should I wait for 26H2 instead?

No. Microsoft released 26H2 to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on August 27, 2026 and says general availability comes “later this calendar year” without a date. The 24H2 deadline comes first. 26H2 will also arrive as an enablement package on the same servicing branch, so moving to 25H2 now costs you nothing.

Can I switch to 26H1 instead?

No. Microsoft says 26H1 is only available on new devices with select new silicon, currently Snapdragon X2 Series PCs, and is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2.

I’m still on 23H2. What now?

23H2 Home and Pro already reached end of updates. The 25H2 enablement package requires 24H2, so a 23H2 PC needs the full feature update from Windows Update or Microsoft’s installation media.

My PC is from work and still on 24H2 Enterprise. Is it affected?

Not yet. Enterprise and Education 24H2 are supported until October 12, 2027. Your IT department will schedule the move.

Sources

• Windows 11 release information, Microsoft Learn (updated September 22, 2026)
• Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues and notifications, Microsoft Learn
• Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications, Microsoft Learn
• Windows 11 Home and Pro lifecycle, Microsoft Learn
• Windows 11 Enterprise and Education lifecycle, Microsoft Learn
• KB5054156: Feature update to Windows 11, version 25H2 by using an enablement package, Microsoft Support
• Installing Windows 11 on devices that don’t meet minimum system requirements, Microsoft Support
• What to know about Windows 11, version 26H1, Windows IT Pro Blog (February 10, 2026)
• Releasing Windows 11, version 26H2 to the Release Preview Channel, Windows Insider Blog (August 27, 2026)
• Download Windows 11, Microsoft