Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro stop getting security updates on October 13, 2026. If your business runs those machines, you need to move them to version 25H2 before that date. The good news: 25H2 is a small, fast upgrade, not a rebuild. The bad news is what happens if you skip it.
An unpatched Windows machine is an open door. Once 24H2 stops receiving fixes, every new vulnerability found after that date stays open on those PCs for good.
By Joe Laboy. The NetSys Group has delivered managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud services since 1998. Our engineers hold degrees in electrical and computer engineering and are certified Microsoft and Cisco instructors, serving businesses across NY, NJ, CT, PA, and Southwest Florida.
When exactly does Windows 11 24H2 lose support?
Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro editions reach end of support on October 13, 2026. That's the last Patch Tuesday those editions get. After it, no more monthly security updates, no bug fixes, no technical support.
Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 get an extra year, through October 12, 2027, on their 36-month lifecycle. Most small businesses run Pro, though, which means the October 2026 date is yours. Microsoft tracks these dates on its Windows 11 lifecycle page.
What happens if you keep running 24H2 after the deadline?
Your PCs keep working. They just stop getting patched. Every vulnerability disclosed after October 13 stays unfixed, and attackers move fast on freshly disclosed flaws in software they know is no longer maintained.
It's also a compliance and insurance problem. Running an unsupported OS can put you offside with frameworks like HIPAA and PCI DSS, and many cyber insurance policies require supported, patched systems. Skip the upgrade and a claim can get denied. Solid patch management only works when the underlying OS is still supported.
What is Windows 11 25H2, and is it a big upgrade?
Version 25H2 is the small one. Microsoft ships it as an enablement package — it shares the same servicing branch and core code as 24H2, so the features are already sitting on the machine, dormant. The update just flips them on.
In practice that means a small download and one quick restart, not the hour-long feature update people remember from older Windows versions. A PC already on 24H2 moves to 25H2 in minutes. This is closer to a monthly update than a version migration.
How should a small business roll out 25H2?
Don't push it to every machine at once. Do this in order:
- Inventory first. Know which PCs run 24H2, which run older builds, and which can't run Windows 11 at all. You can't plan a rollout you can't see.
- Test your line-of-business apps. Update a couple of pilot machines and confirm your critical software — accounting, EHR, industry tools — still behaves.
- Stage the rollout. A pilot group, then a wider wave, then the rest. If something breaks, it breaks on two machines, not forty.
- Use your management tools. Microsoft Intune, Windows Update for Business, or your MSP's RMM platform can schedule and deploy 25H2 across every device without touching each one by hand.
If you already provision machines with Windows Autopilot, new devices come in on the current version automatically. The work is mostly your existing fleet.
What about PCs that can't run Windows 11 at all?
Some machines won't qualify. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 and a supported CPU, and older hardware fails those checks. Those PCs can't take 25H2 because they can't run Windows 11 in the first place — a different problem, and a bigger one if they're still on Windows 10.
This is the same reckoning a lot of businesses just went through with the Windows 10 end-of-support crunch. If a machine can't make the jump, it's a hardware replacement, not an update. Our take on how often to replace business computers lays out the math. Managing this across a fleet is exactly what managed IT services are for.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Windows 11 25H2 update free?
Yes. Feature updates like 25H2 are free for any device already licensed for Windows 11. There's no new license or purchase. The only cost is the time to test and deploy it across your machines, which is minimal because 25H2 installs as an enablement package.
Will 25H2 break our business applications?
Usually not, because 25H2 shares the same code base as 24H2, so it's a low-risk change. That said, always test critical line-of-business software on a pilot machine before a company-wide rollout. Specialized industry apps are where surprises hide, and a two-machine pilot catches them.
How long does the 25H2 upgrade actually take?
Minutes, for a PC already on 24H2. The enablement package is a small download followed by one restart, not a full reinstall. Machines on much older builds take longer because they run the full feature update first, which is one reason to know your inventory before you start.
Do we have to upgrade every device by hand?
No. Microsoft Intune, Windows Update for Business, or a managed IT provider's tools can deploy 25H2 to your whole fleet on a schedule, in staged waves. Manual, machine-by-machine upgrades only make sense for a handful of PCs without central management.
Is 24H2 the same thing as the Windows 11 2024 Update?
Yes. "24H2" is Microsoft's version label for the update it marketed as the Windows 11 2024 Update. The number tells you the year and half it shipped. 25H2 follows the same pattern for 2025, and it's the version your Home and Pro machines need to be on after October 13, 2026.
Not sure which of your machines are on 24H2, or which ones can't make the jump at all? Talk to NetSys about a complimentary IT assessment and we'll map your fleet before the deadline turns into an emergency.
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