- Microsoft just reminded us that Windows 11 23H2 is about to lose support
- The last security update for 23H2 will be provided in November
- After that, you won’t get any further security patches, so you should move to Windows 11 24H2 (or 25H2)
Microsoft has again reminded Windows 11 users who are still running the aging version 23H2 that they need to upgrade to a newer spin on the OS, as support is about to run out.
Yes, it’s not just Windows 10 which is about to have support discontinued – that happens tomorrow, in fact – but also Windows 11 23H2, although the support deadline isn’t quite as close for the latter.
As Microsoft makes clear on its release health dashboard (as spotted by Bleeping Computer): “Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, version 23H2 will continue to receive monthly security updates until November 11, 2025.”
After that, there will no longer be any security updates supplied to Windows 11 23H2, so if you haven’t yet upgraded to version 24H2 (or 25H2), then you need to do so within the next month. (Although it’s worth noting that a lot of people have already had this upgrade pushed on them by Microsoft.
This is actually the fourth warning Microsoft has issued this year about support ceasing for Windows 11 23H2, and it will be the last one before the final cumulative update is delivered in November.
Analysis: time to make a move
People running Windows 11 23H2 are in much the same boat as those on Windows 10, in terms of not having any security updates going forward being a bad thing. Without monthly updates to fix security flaws, version 23H2 will become vulnerable to exploits, and as time goes on, potentially more and more avenues of compromise will be left open.
While it’s understandable that some folks might not have made the leap to 24H2 after hearing about it being a particularly buggy update in its initial stages, matters have settled down now – and of course we’ve just had 25H2 through, as well. You’ll need to make the move to version 24H2 first, though, before you’ll be offered 25H2 – and the latter is a minor upgrade anyway. Indeed, they’re both essentially the same, aside from some small tweaks and the odd little feature addition with 25H2, but nothing worth shouting about as I’ve discussed before.
At any rate, the time to get 24H2 is now upon us, although this is only true for Windows 11 Home and Pro. Those on Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 23H2 can stick with that version for another year, as they get support through to November 10, 2026.
For those on Windows 10, it’s also worth noting that you can get extended support through to October 2026, as well, and you should avail yourself of that free offer if you intend to stick with the older operating system.
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