Windows 11 24H2 end of support for Home and Pro editions lands on 13 October 2026, Microsoft has confirmed, giving unmanaged consumer devices roughly two months before monthly security updates stop arriving. The same date also retires Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016, making it a notably busy end-of-support moment for Microsoft’s Windows portfolio.
Microsoft issued the reminder via a message centre update, warning that ‘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.’ The message is pointed squarely at anyone still on 24H2 Home or Pro who has not yet moved to the successor release.
Who Gets a Reprieve and Who Does Not
Not every 24H2 user is in the same boat. According to Microsoft’s support website, Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise and Education editions remain under mainstream support until October 2027, giving business IT teams considerably more breathing room. Home and Pro users get no such luxury.
For devices not managed by an IT department, Microsoft says the upgrade to Windows 11 25H2 (also marketed as the Windows 11 2025 Update) will happen automatically. Users can still choose when to restart or defer the update, so the process is not entirely out of their hands. Those who want to trigger it manually can go to Settings, then Windows Update, and select ‘Check for updates’; if the device qualifies, the option to download and install version 25H2 will appear there.
What Windows 11 25H2 Means for Support Lifecycles
Moving to 25H2 is not merely a case of swapping one version for another. According to the Windows IT Pro Blog, upgrading to version 25H2 resets the support lifecycle clock entirely: Enterprise and Education editions get a fresh 36-month support window, while Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstation editions receive a 24-month window from the point of upgrade. That is worth bearing in mind for IT administrators weighing the urgency of moving managed fleets before the 24H2 deadline.
The Windows IT Pro Blog also notes that 25H2 was made available to the Windows Insider community ahead of its broader rollout, which is planned for the second half of 2025. Microsoft describes the release as a minor update installed via an enablement package, meaning it is not the kind of heavy lift that major Windows version transitions have sometimes been.
The Broader End-of-Support Picture
October 2026 is shaping up to be a pressure point across several Microsoft products. Windows 11 23H2 Home and Pro already lost security update support in November 2025, so the 24H2 deadline continues a pattern of Microsoft trimming the consumer Windows support tail fairly aggressively.
On the server side, Windows Server 2022 is approaching its own mainstream end-of-support date in October 2026, after which it transitions to extended support, with security updates continuing through 14 October 2031. That transition is a different beast from the consumer scenario: extended support keeps patches flowing, whereas consumer Home and Pro editions hitting end of support simply stop receiving updates altogether.
Microsoft also quietly extended its free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates programme for consumers by an additional year in June, pushing that deadline out to October 2027. For households running older hardware that cannot meet Windows 11’s requirements, that extension provides a modest additional cushion before the security update tap turns off there too.
Anyone looking for a consolidated view of which products face upcoming deadlines can use Microsoft‘s Lifecycle Policy search tool or the Windows Lifecycle FAQ page, both of which the company maintains on its support properties. Microsoft has additionally published a full list of products it will retire or end support for in 2025, also available on its support website.
For most consumers, the practical upshot is straightforward: unmanaged Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro machines will be upgraded to 25H2 automatically before the October deadline, and the 25H2 support clock starts fresh from there.
