Microsoft releases a new version of Windows 11, such as 24H2, once a year, and each version gets cumulative security updates on the second Tuesday of every month until its end date. That end date depends on the edition as well as the version, so one laptop on 24H2 can be supported while the next one is not. After the end date, Microsoft says devices no longer receive monthly security and non-security preview updates. Microsoft's lifecycle FAQ notes that an operating system may keep working after support ends, which is why the gap is easy to miss.

How the support clock works

Microsoft separates two kinds of updates. A quality update is the cumulative monthly fix, and a feature update is the annual release that moves a device to a new version. The release information page labels the second-week security release B and the fourth-week non-security preview D, the same shorthand Intune uses.

The edition sets the length of the clock. Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations and SE get 24 months per version, while Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, Education and IoT Enterprise get 36. The clock runs from each version's release date, not from the day a PC installs it, so moving to a newer version is what buys more time. Microsoft says installing version 26H2 resets the support lifecycle for supported editions.

Microsoft says Home does not support deferring feature updates, so it typically receives a new version before its end date. Pro, Enterprise and Education PCs can be held back by deferrals, pauses and target-version policies, which is how a business PC can pass its end date without anyone noticing.

Where version 24H2 stands

Microsoft gives these dates for version 24H2:

  • Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations reached end of updates on October 13, 2026.
  • SE reached end of support in October 2026, and Microsoft says 24H2 was the last supported version for that edition.
  • Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise and Enterprise multi-session get monthly security updates until October 12, 2027.
  • Enterprise LTSC 2024, also version 24H2, gets updates until October 9, 2029, and IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 until October 10, 2034.

Enterprise and Education machines on 24H2 already get fewer updates than before. Microsoft says the September 22, 2026 non-security preview update was the last one for those editions, while monthly security updates continue, and its November 10, 2026 security update for 24H2, KB5132061, lists only the Enterprise and Education editions. The Home and Pro lifecycle page shows the end as 6:59:59 AM Pacific Time on October 14, 2026, the morning after the October 13 date on the release health page, so expect a one-day difference between the two pages.

The long LTSC dates are not a shortcut for ordinary office PCs. Microsoft says the Long-Term Servicing Channel is designed only for specialized devices, such as those that control medical equipment or ATMs.

Check edition and version together

On each computer, open Start, then Settings, then System, then About, and look under Windows specifications. Microsoft says the page shows Edition, Version and OS Build, and that typing winver in the search bar and pressing Enter shows the version details too.

In Microsoft Intune, the same facts sit on each device's Device details tab, under Devices, then All devices, as Operating system edition and Operating system version. Microsoft says hardware and software inventory refreshes every seven days, so it can lag behind a recent upgrade.

If an inventory export shows build numbers instead, the five-digit build identifies the version, with 22631 for 23H2, 26100 for 24H2, 26200 for 25H2 and 26300 for 26H2. Microsoft lists build 26100 for every edition of 24H2, including LTSC, so the build cannot tell a Pro laptop from an Enterprise one.

A newer laptop may show build 28000, which is version 26H1. Microsoft says 26H1 is scoped to new devices that started coming to market in early 2026 and is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2. It is supported on Home and Pro until March 14, 2028.

An inventory export that lists only the version can send the wrong machines into a migration wave. Add an edition column before anyone reports devices as supported. Flag any device still on 23H2, which is now past end of updates for every edition, since Microsoft says the November 2026 security update was the last one for 23H2 Enterprise and Education.

An edition can change after setup

Subscription activation can turn a Pro PC into an Enterprise one without a reinstall. Microsoft says Windows steps up from Pro to Enterprise when a user with an assigned Windows Enterprise E3 or E5 license signs in, provided the device is Microsoft Entra joined or hybrid joined; workgroup and Entra registered devices are not supported.

The step-up is not permanent. When the user's subscription expires or the license moves to someone else, Microsoft says the device reverts to Pro once the current subscription validity runs out. Each user license covers up to five devices, and a sixth sends the one that user has not signed in to for the longest time back to Pro. A 24H2 laptop that drops back to Pro is on an edition whose updates ended October 13, 2026, so trust the About page, not the license count.

Decide what each machine needs

Read edition and version together, then sort each device:

  • Home, Pro, Pro Education or Pro for Workstations on 24H2 is unsupported and should move now.
  • Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise or Enterprise multi-session on 24H2 is supported until October 12, 2027 and can be scheduled.
  • SE on 24H2 has no newer version, and Microsoft recommends moving to a device that supports another edition.
  • Any edition on 23H2 is unsupported, and because the 26H2 enablement package covers only 24H2 and 25H2, it needs a full feature update.
  • Versions 25H2, 26H2 and 26H1 are supported and need only their monthly updates.

For Home and Pro devices on 24H2, Microsoft recommends updating to version 26H2, which it also calls the Windows 11 2026 Update, or to 25H2. Version 26H2 has the longer runway, with Home and Pro updates until October 10, 2028, against October 12, 2027 for 25H2, and on Enterprise and Education it is supported until October 9, 2029. Choose 25H2 only when a critical application's vendor has not yet approved 26H2, since a later move from 25H2 to 26H2 uses the same small enablement package.

Expect a few visible changes. Microsoft's IT pro guide to 26H2 says some features that were held behind temporary commercial control in 25H2 are on by default in 26H2, including Windows settings backup, app-specific taskbar actions and File Explorer improvements, and that some of them have eligibility requirements.

How the move works and how to pilot it

Microsoft says versions 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2 share a common core operating system with an identical set of system files. The 26H2 features already arrive, dormant, in the monthly updates for 24H2 and 25H2, and a small enablement package, KB5121794, switches them on with a single restart.

The package has a prerequisite. The device must already have the September 22, 2026 preview update, KB5124010, or a later cumulative update. A 24H2 PC that has not installed an update since before that date needs a qualifying cumulative update first, so install what Windows Update offers before looking for 26H2.

Group machines by edition, version and business role. Pilot a supported release with one user who runs the software the rest of the group depends on, and let that person work a normal day on it, including printing and any line-of-business software, before you move the group.

On an unmanaged pilot PC, save work, plug the laptop in, open Settings, then Windows Update, and select Check for updates. Install any cumulative update it offers and restart. When version 26H2 appears, select Download & install and restart when prompted. Microsoft says the 26H2 rollout has reached full availability for devices on 24H2 and 25H2.

Move Intune-managed PCs

Intune feature update policies need Microsoft Intune Plan 1 and a Windows license with the Windows Autopatch entitlement, which Microsoft lists for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Windows Enterprise E3 or E5 and Windows Education A3 or A5. They support Pro, Pro Education, Enterprise and Education devices that are Entra joined or hybrid joined, with telemetry at Required or higher and the Microsoft Account Sign-In Assistant service running. Microsoft says LTSC devices are not supported and should use update ring policies instead.

To create a profile in the Intune admin center:

  • Go to Devices, then Windows, then Windows updates, then Feature updates, and select Create profile.
  • Give the profile a name, and from the Feature update to deploy list choose version 26H2; Microsoft says only versions still in support are listed.
  • Select Make available to users as a required update.
  • Under Rollout options, choose Make update available as soon as possible.
  • Assign the profile to a pilot device group, then select Review + create and Create.

Intune's gradual rollout option puts a minimum of 100 devices in each offer group, so in an office with fewer devices it would offer the update to all of them at once. A small pilot group that you widen once the pilot passes gives you more control. Microsoft says that when a device is targeted by more than one feature update policy, Windows Update offers the latest applicable version, so add devices to the 26H2 profile before you take them out of an older one.

Then check the update rings. Microsoft says to set Feature update deferral period (days) to 0 and make sure feature updates in the ring are not paused. A ring pause lasts up to 35 days, but selecting Extend resets it to 35 days, so repeated extensions can keep a ring paused far longer.

When the update does not appear

A Home PC still on 24H2 deserves a closer look, since Home normally moves on its own. One possible cause on any edition is a safeguard hold, which keeps a device with a known issue from being offered a new version. On a PC that gets updates from Windows Update and is not managed by Windows Update client policies, the Windows Update page in Settings says the update is on its way but not ready for the device.

Microsoft recommends against attempting a manual update until the issue is resolved and the hold is released. Holds apply only to devices that get updates through Windows Update, so installing from media bypasses that protection. Intune's Feature update failures report, under Devices, then Monitor, shows a SafeguardHold alert with the hold's ID in the Deployment Error Code column, and each version's Known issues page on Windows release health explains publicly discussed holds.

Next, look for settings someone made earlier. In Settings, then Windows Update, check whether updates are paused; Microsoft says a pause lasts up to 35 days, after which the device scans for updates and can be paused again. Microsoft's Intune troubleshooting guide then points to Advanced options, then Configured update policies, which lists each policy and whether it comes from Mobile Device Management or Group Policy.

Two Group Policy settings can hold a PC on an older version. Select the target Feature Update version, under Windows Components, then Windows Update, then Manage updates offered from Windows Update, names the version a device moves to or stays on until end of service or until the policy changes. Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received, in the same folder, can defer feature updates for up to 365 days. Microsoft notes that many group policies are old and cached, and that policy conflicts can leave a device stuck on an earlier version.

On Intune devices, the failures report also flags PolicyConflictDeferral when a deferral policy blocks the update and PolicyConflictPause when updates are paused on the device. A DeviceRegistrationInvalidGlobalDeviceId alert can mean the Microsoft Account Sign-In Assistant service is disabled, and Microsoft says Windows Update does not offer feature updates when that service is disabled.

Common mistakes and how to spot them

Watch for these in your reports:

  • Reading Intune's Support End Date as if it covered Pro. Microsoft says the date shown is for Enterprise and Education, so a 24H2 profile looks current while its Pro devices are not.
  • Leaving an old feature update profile on 24H2. A profile keeps its version enforced until it is changed or removed, so devices assigned only to it stay on 24H2.
  • Removing a device from its old profile before adding the new one. Microsoft says a device no longer targeted by a feature update policy is not offered any feature update until it is assigned a new profile.
  • Shutting a laptop down mid-install, which Intune reports as UnexpectedShutdown.
  • Starting with a nearly full drive, which Intune reports as DiskFull when the Windows partition is full.
  • Trusting a report the morning after an upgrade, when client data for feature update reports refreshes every eight hours and Device details every seven days.

Verify the result

Check each upgraded PC itself, not just a report. The About page should show Version 26H2, and after the November 10, 2026 update the OS Build should read 26300.9974 or higher. A PC on 25H2 should read 26200.9974 or higher, and an Enterprise or Education PC still on 24H2 should read 26100.9974 or higher.

If the version reads 26H2 but the build is lower, select Check for updates again and install what it offers. In Intune, open Reports, then Windows Updates, select Windows Feature Update Report, pick the profile and select Generate report; a finished device shows an Update State of Installed with the substate Update Installed. Record the edition, version, build and date for each device, as evidence that every PC reached a supported version.

A worked example

Imagine a twelve-person accounting office with twelve laptops in use and one spare. Its management export shows build 26100 on all of them, so the whole fleet has been reported as supported until 2027. Adding an edition column shows nine Pro and three Enterprise among the laptops in use. The spare, last used by an employee who left, now reads Pro on its About page because that person's Windows Enterprise license was reassigned to a new hire. That makes ten Pro laptops on an edition whose 24H2 updates ended October 13, 2026.

Before any upgrade, the office manager checks Configured update policies and finds Select the target Feature Update version still set to 24H2 by a Group Policy left over from an old server, so the office's IT support removes it. The partner who runs the tax software then pilots 26H2 for a full day, including printing, scanning and the client portal, and her About page shows Version 26H2 and OS Build 26300.9974.

The other eight Pro laptops follow in two batches that week, and the spare is updated before it goes back into service, each one checked on its About page and logged. The three Enterprise laptops are supported until October 12, 2027 and get a date in the spring.

What to do this week

  • Add edition, version and build columns to your inventory, including spares and loaners.
  • Flag Home and Pro devices on 24H2, any device on 23H2 and any SE device.
  • Clear paused updates, leftover target-version policies and Intune profiles or rings holding devices on 24H2.
  • Pilot 26H2 with one key user for a full working day, then move each group.
  • Confirm each updated device shows version 26H2 and a current build on its About page.
  • Set a date for Enterprise and Education devices well before October 12, 2027.
  • Keep the vendor lifecycle link in your inventory so the next review uses the current dates.

Short answers to common follow-up questions

Missing the October 13 date does not block the move. Microsoft's advice for Home and Pro devices past end of updates is to update them to 26H2 or 25H2.

Paying for more 24H2 updates is not an option Microsoft describes. Its lifecycle FAQ describes the paid Extended Security Updates program only for Windows 10, and its Windows 11 guidance is to install the latest version before the current one reaches end of servicing.

Buying Enterprise licenses just to stay on 24H2 longer comes with conditions. Subscription activation needs Entra joined or hybrid joined devices and reverts when a license moves, and Enterprise updates for 24H2 end October 12, 2027. By contrast, 26H2 takes a single restart and keeps Pro devices updated until October 10, 2028.

Rolling back is no substitute for the pilot. Intune's Uninstall action does not work on a feature update applied by enablement package, which is how 24H2 moves to 26H2. After a full feature update, such as the one a 23H2 PC needs, Microsoft says Settings, then System, then Recovery offers Go back for 10 days in most cases, if the windows.old and $windows.~bt folders stay in place.

Enterprise and Education devices on 24H2 can move later through the same enablement package. Intune marks a feature update profile Support Ending when its version is within two months of its support end date.

Where ALCO can help

If you want help with the inventory or the upgrade, the ALCO help desk is staffed 24 hours a day, including holidays, and calls are answered by a person. ALCO's Microsoft 365 service includes Intune, its mobile device management service covers managed phones and laptops, and its asset management service keeps every device tagged and tracked.

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