Microsoft will release the last security update for Windows 11 version 23H2 Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise on Nov. 10, 2026. A 30-day reminder in the company’s Windows message center, posted Oct. 9, said PCs still on 23H2 Enterprise or Education after that date will “no longer receive monthly security updates containing protections from the latest security threats.”
Nothing shuts down on Nov. 10, and computers on 23H2 will keep running after the deadline without new security fixes. People running the Home or Pro editions of 23H2 stopped getting updates a year earlier, on Nov. 11, 2025.
Upgrading to a newer, supported version of Windows 11 is what Microsoft recommends. Users can check whether an upgrade is ready by opening Settings, choosing Windows Update and selecting Check for updates. Once a PC qualifies, a Download and install option appears on that page, per the reminder.
Pressing Windows + R, typing winver and hitting Enter opens a small window that shows the installed version. Any PC listing 23H2 there is one Microsoft wants moved to a newer release.
Earlier reminders in August and September pointed organizations to version 25H2, which is supported for Enterprise and Education through October 2028. Since then, Microsoft has released Windows 11 version 26H2, which arrived Sept. 29 as the Windows 11 2026 Update.
On PCs already running 24H2 or 25H2, 26H2 installs as a small download that turns on features Windows has picked up through earlier monthly updates. Enablement package is Microsoft’s name for this kind of update. The rollout is gradual, and users who switch on the Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available setting in Windows Update see it first.
Installing 26H2 restarts the support clock. According to Microsoft’s lifecycle tables, Enterprise and Education machines on 26H2 get updates until October 2029, and Home and Pro devices get them until October 2028.
IT teams are advised in Microsoft’s deployment guidance to try 26H2 on a small group of PCs before rolling it out widely. Organizations can deploy it through Windows Autopatch or the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Unsupported PCs face a second deadline in 2027, tied to expiring Windows Update certificates. Certificates act like digital ID cards for Windows Update, since they let a PC confirm it is reaching Microsoft’s real update servers. Those certificates will expire on May 17 and June 19, 2027, an Oct. 8 Windows IT Pro Blog post warned.
For PCs no longer supported by then, the post states that “they’ll lose access to Windows Update services.” Version 25H2 and later releases, 26H2 included, need no action.
Tuesday, Oct. 13, ends updates on Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro, as Microsoft’s list of 2026 end-of-support dates shows. Enterprise and Education installs of 24H2 keep getting patches until October 2027.
Office 2021 retires that day, and support ends for Office LTSC 2021. After a product retires, Microsoft stops issuing security fixes, other updates and help from its support staff.
Windows Server 2022 moves from mainstream to extended support the same day. Extended support brings free security updates through Oct. 14, 2031, with no new features added. Hotpatching, which installs updates without a restart, stays available on Datacenter: Azure Edition through October 2027.
Next on the calendar is Jan. 12, 2027, when Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 will drop out of support. Later in 2027, Oct. 12 will end updates to version 25H2 Home and Pro.
Consumer Extended Security Updates, the program that keeps sending security fixes to home Windows 10 PCs after Windows 10 stopped getting regular updates in October 2025, will also wrap up then. Originally, Microsoft planned to end the program in October 2026.
Via betanews/ Pic bleepingcomputer
