A version of Windows 11 loses security updates on 13 October

Three and a half weeks from now a version of Windows 11 stops getting security updates. Not Windows 10 this time. Windows 11.

Version 24H2, in its Home and Pro editions, reaches end of updates on 13 October 2026. Microsoft's wording is blunt: devices running those editions will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or the monthly security updates that carry protection against new threats. Enterprise and Education editions of the same version run on until October 2027, which is why you may see people say 24H2 is still supported. For the copy of Windows on a home PC, it is not, and the date is less than a month away.

The replacement is version 25H2, and for most people it will arrive by itself. Microsoft says Home and Pro machines on 24H2 that are not managed by an IT department will be offered the 25H2 update automatically, and you can choose when it restarts. To go and get it, open Settings, Windows Update, then Check for updates. To find out which version you are actually on, press the Windows key, type winver and press Enter; the number is on the second line.

There is no extended support option here of the kind Windows 10 home users were given. 24H2 Home and Pro cannot buy extra time, so the upgrade is the only road. That turns a stuck or failing Windows Update from a background irritation into a real deadline, and Tendvane's Windows Update repair wizard exists for precisely that kind of stuck.