Windows 10: Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 will reach end of support in October, forcing an automatic...

Microsoft has announced that it will stop servicing Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 later this year. Here's what it means for users.

Microsoft released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021, about 6 years after Windows 10 was launched. The first version of Windows 11 had the version number 21H2, and it reached its end of support in October 2023 for regular users.

However, some editions of Windows 11 21H2 continue to be supported by the company. This is what's changing in Q3. Windows 11 received 2 major updates over the years, aka feature updates. The first of these was the Windows 11 22H2 update, which dropped on September 20, 2022. The current gen version of the operating system is Windows 11 version 23H2, it was released on October 31, 2023.

Microsoft says Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 will reach end of support in 90 days


A support page on the Redmond company's website, which was spotted by Neowin, says that Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 will reach end of support in 90 days. This impacts Windows 11 2H22 Home or Pro editions. Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions of Windows 11 version 21H2 will also reach end of life on the same day. To be specific, devices with these versions of the operating system will no longer get security and preview updates after October 8, 2024. IT Administrators will need to upgrade the computers to the latest version of Windows 11 to continue receiving security updates. On the other hand, consumer devices and computers that are non-managed by IT admins will be updated to Windows 11 version 21H3 automatically.



The Windows Lifecycle page on Microsoft.com mentions that Windows 11 version 22H2 of the three editions (Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise) will be supported until October 14, 2025. Similarly, Windows 11 version 23H2 will receive updates until November 11, 2025, for regular users, while Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise users will be able to use the version for a further year, until November 10, 2026.



Microsoft is preparing to release the next feature update, aka Windows 11 24H2. It is already available in the Release Preview Channel for participants in the Windows Insider Program. The update spells the end of Cortana, WordPad and the Tips app. Windows 11 24H2 will ship with important changes to AI features that will use Copilot+. Microsoft ran into some trouble with Recall, a feature that was designed to capture the screen content once very 5 minutes, and analyze the data, store it in a searchable form which would in turn allow the user to interact with the A.I. with queries related to their usage or specific content. However, many users and experts criticized the company about potential privacy risks that could arise due to the controversial feature, and Microsoft actually backed down by asking OEMs to delay sending out review units of new CoPilot+ enabled PCs, while it disabled Recall. The feature has not been abandoned yet, as we previously reported a couple of new features were added to it in the Preview Channel.

Windows 11 PCs powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X series chip are running on Windows 11 24H2, and while the devices impressed reviewers in battery life tests, the laptops' performance in games was found to be rather abysmal.

On a side note, Microsoft is set to retire Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Users will need to upgrade to Windows 11 to continue receiving security updates.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 will reach end of support in October, forcing an automatic upgrade to 22H3 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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Windows 10 version 22H2 end of servicing on October 14, 2025

Read more:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/li...support-update
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...rvicing-option
• Plan for Windows 10 EOS with Windows 11, Windows 365, and ESU

 

My new HP Windows 11 21H2 laptop is not being offered the upgrade to 22H2

My new HP Windows 11 21H2 laptop is not being offered the upgrade to 22H2 despite 21H2 having reached end of service in October 2023.



(1) I recently switched on the new laptop for the first time out-of-the-box, it shipped with Windows 11 Home Version 21H2 OS Build 22000.9 pre-installed by HP. Windows Update has now apparently successfully updated it to 2023-10 21H2 22000.2538 Cumulative Update KB5031358, however it has not installed the two more recent monthly Cumulative Updates 2023-11 21H2 22000.2600 KB5032192 and 2023-12 21H2 22000.2652 KB5033369, but perhaps that is to be expected given that 21H2 reached end of service? - please confirm whether these updates should have been installed or not by now.



(2) I am concerned that Windows Update is not offering me the option to upgrade from Windows 11 21H2 to 22H2 as I believe it should be - please confirm my understanding that I should be being offered 22H2 by now.



(3) Despite Windows Update now consistently saying "You're up to date" after checking for updates it is persistently failing to install 2023-10 update for Windows 11 for x64 based Systems (KB4023057) - Windows Update Health Tools - showing error code 0xC1900401 (or occasionally 0x800704C8) neither of which appear in Microsoft's lists of Windows error codes - please explain what these error codes mean and whether this failure to install KB4023057 is likely to be the reason I am not being offered the option of upgrading to 22H2.



(4) I tried running the Windows Update Troubleshooter and it made no difference.



Please advise me on these issues, what needs to be done to correct them?



Thank you.

 

Windows 11 – Cumulative updates suddenly failing to install

Welcome to Ten Forums, though really you should be looking to the sister site Eleven Forum for answers. Your Windows 11 21H2 has passed its end of support date. It really isn't worth trying to fix the Windows Update issues as it would only get the last update for October 2023 anyway.

Windows 11 version 21H2 End of Servicing on October 10, 2023 | Windows 11 Forum An in-place upgrade is required to get you upgraded to the current Windows 11 23H2. An in-place upgrade is often recommended to fix issues with Windows, so you should no longer have any update problems once upgraded to 23H2. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial | Windows 11 Forum