This Windows 11 version loses security support tomorrow, here’s how to check yours

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Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

Published Oct 12, 2026, 8:31 AM EDT

Hamed holds a B.A. in English Literature, graduating cum laude. He loves music, tech gadgets, and exploring the latest in the world of LLMs. He also enjoys tinkering with creative software such as Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Photoshop.

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Tomorrow, October 13, 2026, marks the day Microsoft ends security support for Windows 11 version 24H2. According to Microsoft's official notice, this affects the Pro and Home editions of Windows 11. The company promised an extended one-year buffer for Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 running the 24H2 version, with an end-of-support date of October 12, 2027.

Affected PCs will stop receiving monthly security updates and technical support after the cutoff. Your PC will still be functional if you don't update, but staying on 24H2 will be increasingly risky as newly discovered threats and vulnerabilities go unpatched.

Updating from 24H2 will keep your Windows computer safe

And the latest versions can bring even more noticeable benefits

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

This follows Microsoft's earlier decision to retire Publisher and discontinue support for Office 2021. Naturally, Microsoft gives each version of Windows 11 a fixed support period. Once that period comes to an end, users are expected to move to a newer release — in this case, Windows 11 25H2 or 26H2.

If your device supports it, we recommend installing the 26H2 version. Besides introducing numerous quality-of-life improvements and performance fixes, early reports suggest that Windows 11 26H2 uses considerably less RAM. Some users have reported saving between 2GB and 3GB of memory at startup, although the improvement will naturally vary between computers.

To check which version you're running, you can open Settings > System > About and look under Windows specifications. Alternatively, you can press Windows key + R on your keyboard, type in winver, and press Enter.

If it says 24H2 and you're on Windows 11 Home or Pro, then you'd want to go ahead and install the update. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Install Windows 11 25H2 or 26H2 if either appears, and restart your PC when prompted to do so.

The whole process for checking your Windows 11 version shouldn't take more than five minutes. That five-minute checkup and maintenance run can save you a lot of headaches and anxiety in the long run.

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