Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro stopped receiving updates on October 13, 2026. If your PC is on 24H2, check your version in Settings > System > About and move to Windows 11 26H2 (or 25H2) to keep getting security fixes.
The cutoff landed on the same day as Microsoft's largest Patch Tuesday on record, which fixed more than 1,400 vulnerabilities, including a Windows flaw that attackers were already exploiting.
When does Windows 11 24H2 support end?
It already has, for consumer editions. Microsoft's release-health page lists Windows 11 24H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations as end of updates as of October 13, 2026. The October security update was the last one.
"Devices running these editions will no longer receive monthly security and non-security preview updates," Microsoft said.
Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions of 24H2 are supported for another year, until October 12, 2027.
Which Windows 11 versions are still supported?
From Microsoft's official Windows 11 release information:
| Version | Released | Home / Pro updates end | Enterprise / Education updates end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26H2 | Sept. 29, 2026 | Oct. 10, 2028 | Oct. 9, 2029 |
| 26H1 (new devices only) | Feb. 10, 2026 | Mar. 14, 2028 | Mar. 13, 2029 |
| 25H2 | Sept. 30, 2025 | Oct. 12, 2027 | Oct. 10, 2028 |
| 24H2 | Oct. 1, 2024 | Ended Oct. 13, 2026 | Oct. 12, 2027 |
| 23H2 | Oct. 31, 2023 | Ended | Nov. 10, 2026 |
Windows 11 26H1 shipped only on new devices from early 2026 and is not offered as an update from 24H2 or 25H2.
How do I check my Windows 11 version?
- Open Settings.
- Select System, then About.
- Under Windows specifications, read the Version line, for example 24H2.
Or press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter.
How do I update to the latest version of Windows 11?
Microsoft recommends Windows 11 26H2, also called the Windows 11 2026 Update:
- Open Settings > Windows Update.
- Turn on "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available."
- Select Check for updates.
- If Windows 11, version 26H2 appears, select Download and install.
- Restart when prompted.
The rollout is phased and "will expand over the next few months," Microsoft said. On eligible devices, the update "will download and install automatically, and a single restart will complete the process." If 26H2 is not offered yet, keep the setting on. Your PC stays on 24H2, without new security fixes, until it moves.
What did October's Patch Tuesday fix?
Microsoft's October 13 release was the largest Patch Tuesday to date, according to Tenable, the second month in a row to set that record. Counts vary by method: Tenable counted 1,407 CVEs, BleepingComputer 1,411, and other trackers 1,413. BleepingComputer attributed the volume to Microsoft's use of AI tools to find and fix flaws in its products. Around 70 were rated Critical.
The fix that matters most for home users:
- CVE-2026-96951, a Windows Shell security feature bypass, exploited in the wild before the patch, Microsoft says. An attacker sends a malicious file by email or message; opening it can bypass Mark of the Web, the warning Windows attaches to files from the internet. Tenable rates it CVSS 8.8.
Two more flaws were publicly disclosed before the fix, though not known to be exploited:
- CVE-2026-108398, a .NET Framework bypass of Windows Defender Application Control, found by James Forshaw of Google Project Zero.
- CVE-2026-92707, a denial-of-service flaw in MessagePack-CSharp for .NET.
For businesses, Tenable flagged critical Exchange Server and Active Directory Domain Services bugs that Microsoft rates "Exploitation More Likely," including CVE-2026-70571 and CVE-2026-70229.
The Windows 11 cumulative updates are KB5127648 and KB5126653.
What about businesses?
Organisations have more time on 24H2, but a closer deadline elsewhere: Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise get their final security update on November 10, 2026.
Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 is on a separate long-term track, supported until October 9, 2029.
What to watch
The 26H2 rollout. Microsoft says it will widen "over the next few months." Until it reaches a 24H2 PC, that PC goes without security fixes.
November 10. The next Patch Tuesday is the first that 24H2 Home and Pro PCs will miss, and the last for 23H2 Enterprise and Education.
Attacks on CVE-2026-96951. Microsoft has not said who was exploiting it or against whom.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. Version and end-of-update dates are from Microsoft's Windows release health pages. Vulnerability details are from Microsoft's October 2026 security updates as reported by Tenable and BleepingComputer.
