Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro stops receiving updates on October 13, 2026. That is about seven weeks out. After that date those machines get no security updates, no bug fixes, and no time zone updates.

If you spent last year moving everyone off Windows 10, this is the uncomfortable part: a large share of those machines landed on 24H2, and 24H2 is the version now running out of road.

The Dates That Matter

Windows 11 24H2, Home and Pro editions: end of updates October 13, 2026.

Windows 11 24H2, Enterprise and Education editions: end of updates October 12, 2027. Enterprise buys you a full extra year on the same build.

Windows 11 25H2, Home and Pro editions: end of updates October 12, 2027. This is the upgrade target for most fleets.

Windows 11 23H2, Home and Pro editions: already past end of updates. Anything still on 23H2 is unpatched today.

Microsoft: Windows 11 release information and servicing dates

What To Do Before October 13

The work is inventory first, upgrade second. Start by finding out what you actually have, because the answer is usually messier than the asset list suggests. Run this against a machine to get its version and edition:

Get-ComputerInfo -Property WindowsProductName,OsDisplayVersion,WindowsEditionId,OsBuildNumber

For a domain, pull the same picture from Active Directory rather than walking desks:

Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -like "*Windows 11*"} -Properties OperatingSystemVersion,LastLogonDate |
  Select-Object Name,OperatingSystemVersion,LastLogonDate |
  Sort-Object OperatingSystemVersion

Then move the Home and Pro machines to 25H2. It is an enablement package on top of 24H2 rather than a full reinstall, so the upgrade is fast and the applications come along untouched. Machines that are already on Enterprise or Education can wait a year, but there is no reason to leave a fleet on two different versions when the upgrade is this cheap.

The 26H1 Trap

Windows 11 version 26H1 exists and shows an end of updates date well past 25H2, which makes it look like the smarter jump. It is not available to you. Microsoft scoped 26H1 to new devices coming to market in early 2026 and states it is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2 on existing devices.

So the upgrade path from 24H2 is 25H2. New hardware you buy may arrive on 26H1, and that is fine, it just is not something you can push to the machines you already own.

If Machines Cannot Upgrade

Check the hardware first. A machine that took 24H2 will generally take 25H2, since the requirements did not change between them. Upgrade failures at this point are usually disk space, a stuck update stack, or third-party disk encryption, not the CPU list.

Look at the edition too. Moving a machine from Pro to Enterprise through your existing licensing buys the extra year on the current build. That is a legitimate option for a handful of holdouts running software that is fussy about the OS version.

Budget the replacements now. Any device that cannot get to a supported version is a hardware refresh, and October is a bad month to discover that. Seven weeks is enough lead time to order, not enough to order twice.

Microsoft: Windows 11 Home and Pro lifecycle policy

Fix Windows 10 ESU Enrollment Errors

Classic Outlook Retirement: The Real Timeline

Remove Copilot From Windows 11 With GPO or Registry

Need a hand getting a fleet off 24H2 before October? Contact Rain City Techworks.