Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro users have three months before security updates stop
Microsoft has set 13 October 2026 as the cut-off for monthly patches on Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro, and on Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016.
Key points
- Microsoft will stop sending security updates to Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro on 13 October 2026.
- Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 loses updates on the same date.
- Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 24H2 keep getting patches until 12 October 2027.
- Home users are being pushed to upgrade to Windows 11 25H2, released in September 2024 as a small add-on update.
- The free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates programme for consumers now runs until 12 October 2027.
Microsoft told customers, through a message centre notice first reported by BleepingComputer, that two versions of Windows will stop getting security fixes in about three months.
The date to circle is 13 October 2026. After that day, if you're running Windows 11 version 24H2 Home or Pro, or Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 (a stripped-down version of Windows 10 built for businesses that want a stable system without feature churn), Microsoft won't send any more monthly patches, including the fixes that protect against newly discovered flaws. An unpatched machine becomes an easier target every week that passes.
What should home users actually do?
Upgrade to Windows 11 version 25H2, and in most cases you won't have to lift a finger.
Microsoft released 25H2 in September 2024 as a minor update that sits on top of 24H2, delivered through an enablement package: a small installer that switches on features already present on your PC. Download is quick, reboot is short.
If your PC isn't managed by a company IT team, the update arrives on its own. You can delay it and choose when to restart. To check manually: open Settings, go to Windows Update, and hit Check for updates. If your device is ready, you'll see "Download and install Windows 11, version 25H2".
Why do businesses get an extra year?
Enterprise and Education customers get until 12 October 2027 on the same 24H2 build.
The reasoning is familiar: large organisations test every Windows release against their own apps, internal tooling and compliance rules before rolling it out to thousands of staff. Home users don't carry that overhead, so Microsoft moves them along faster.
The post-mortem nobody wants to write is about the small business that discovers its office laptops were on the consumer clock all along. Pro sounds like an enterprise edition. It isn't. Our 14 July story on the record 570-flaw Patch Tuesday noted that Microsoft had already quietly extended free security fixes for home Windows 10 users into 2027, so the policy scaffolding was in place before this announcement.
What about older Windows 10 machines?
Microsoft extended its free Extended Security Updates programme for consumer Windows 10 devices in June. Enrolled machines receive security patches until 12 October 2027.
That buys time for anyone whose hardware can't meet Windows 11's requirements. It's a runway, not a permanent fix. Microsoft also stopped patching Windows 11 23H2 Home and Pro in November, so the pattern is clear: consumer editions get roughly two years before you move or go dark.
Should you worry about the Pro edition specifically?
Yes, more than most people do. The word "Pro" implies enterprise-grade longevity. It doesn't deliver it here. If the device's licence says Home or Pro, 13 October 2026 is a hard deadline, not a suggestion. Set a calendar note and check Windows Update. That's the whole job.
The failure mode isn't dramatic. It's the family PC, or the two-person accountancy office, running 24H2 into 2027 because nobody sent a reminder.
