Windows 11 24H2 End of Support Is Today: Pro PCs Lose Security Updates, Enterprise Runs to October 2027

Today, Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Windows 11 version 24H2 PCs running the Home and Pro editions get their last security update. After this, no monthly vulnerability fixes reach them. Yet the same version on the Enterprise or Education edition stays supported until October 12, 2027. So the question for your company is not just the version number but the edition too. The fix needs no new hardware: moving to 25H2 or 26H2 is free through Windows Update and completes with a single restart. We listed this deadline among the October 13 end-of-support dates, and covered installation in our 26H2 update article.

What exactly ended today?

In the Windows message center, Microsoft posted a 30-day reminder that Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro editions reach end of updates on October 13, 2026, and that devices will no longer receive monthly security and non-security preview updates after that date. According to the Home and Pro lifecycle page, this also covers Pro Education and Pro for Workstations.

The PC will not stop tomorrow, and your software will not break. What stops is the fixes. Every month that passes adds flaws known to attackers whose patches never reach that machine.

The edition sets the deadline, not just the version

This is what many businesses miss. Microsoft gives each annual version a support period that depends on the edition. These are the dates on the official lifecycle pages for Home and Pro and Enterprise and Education:

In other words, the autumn release gets 24 months on Home and Pro and 36 months on Enterprise and Education. Most small and mid-sized office PCs are bought with Pro, so they are the ones affected today. And if you have Enterprise PCs on 23H2, their date is less than a month away, on November 10, 2026, as the message center states.

How do you find the affected PCs in your company?

1. On each PC open Settings, then System, then About.
2. Under Windows specifications read two lines: Edition (Home, Pro or Enterprise) and Version (24H2, 25H2 or 26H2).
3. Record the result in one sheet: device name, user, edition, version.
4. Every Home or Pro PC on 24H2 or older goes on this week's list.

If your PCs are enrolled in Intune or a similar management tool, this report is already there without walking around the office.

Moving to 25H2 or 26H2

According to Microsoft's release status page, version 26H2 has been available since September 29, 2026 on eligible 24H2 and 25H2 devices that have turned on the setting to get the latest updates as soon as they are available. If the update is ready for the device, it downloads and installs automatically, and a single restart completes it. The steps:

• Open Settings, then Windows Update, and turn on Get the latest updates as soon as they're available.
• Select Check for updates, install what appears, and restart outside working hours.
• If the update does not appear, the device may be under a safeguard hold because of an incompatible driver or app, as Microsoft explains on its safeguard holds page. Do not bypass the hold with unofficial tools on work machines.
• Try it first on two PCs that run your accounting or point-of-sale software, then roll it out.

How does this tie to Saudi national controls?

The Essential Cybersecurity Controls ECC-2:2024 issued by the National Cybersecurity Authority require patch management for systems, applications and devices in control 2-3-3-3, and patch management to remediate vulnerabilities in control 2-10-3-4. The controls are binding on government entities and their companies and on organisations that own or operate critical national infrastructure, and the NCA encourages all other organisations to use them. If you supply a government entity, a PC with no security updates is a question you will hear in any review.

The Origami view

In Saudi small and mid-sized businesses, we see office PCs update themselves until the day they don't. Pro in particular gets one year less than Enterprise, so a business that does not track the version number loses support without noticing. The fix is not buying hardware, it is one inventory sheet reviewed every quarter.

Our advice today is to move your PCs straight to 26H2, not 25H2, because 26H2 on Pro is supported until October 2028, a full extra year before you face this question again. If you need someone to inventory your PCs or manage their updates, get in touch.

The bottom line: what to do this week

• Inventory every Windows PC: edition and version.
• Move every Home or Pro PC on 24H2 to 26H2 through Windows Update.
• If you have Enterprise PCs on 23H2, plan for them before November 10, 2026.
• Set a reminder every September to review versions before the October deadline.

Sources

• Microsoft: Windows message center, end-of-updates reminders for 24H2 Home and Pro and 23H2 Enterprise and Education
• Microsoft: Windows 11 Home and Pro lifecycle
• Microsoft: Windows 11 Enterprise and Education lifecycle
• Microsoft: Windows 11 25H2 release status and 26H2 availability for 24H2 devices
• Microsoft: How to get the Windows 11 2026 Update
• Microsoft: safeguard holds that delay an update
• National Cybersecurity Authority: Essential Cybersecurity Controls ECC-2:2024