Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise versions of Windows 11 23H2 will cease receiving security patches beginning in November 2026, according to a Microsoft message center notification. This deadline arrives several months after the company discontinued support for the Home and Pro variants in November 2025.
The vendor is directing customers toward Windows 11 26H2, marketed as the Windows 11 2026 Update. This release became available in September 2026 as an enablement package and carries a consumer support expiration date of October 2029.
The November 2026 Windows security update will be the last update available for these editions. After this date, devices running these editions will no longer receive monthly security updates containing protections from the latest security threats. We recommend updating eligible devices running Windows 11, version 23H2 to a supported version of Windows 11.
Microsoft
Deployment and upgrade paths
Windows 11 26H2 is rolling out in phases to qualifying machines where users have activated the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" option. According to Microsoft, "If the update is ready for your device, it will download and install automatically, and a single restart will complete the process."
Manual upgrade checks are available through Settings > Windows Update by selecting "Check for updates." Systems prepared for the transition will display a "Download and install Windows 11, version 26H2" option.
Additional details regarding Windows 11 support timelines are accessible via the Windows Lifecycle FAQ page and the Lifecycle Policy search tool. Microsoft maintains a comprehensive catalog of products entering end-of-support or retirement phases during 2026.
Broader Windows support changes
The 23H2 deadline is part of a broader wave of Windows lifecycle transitions. Earlier in the year, Microsoft extended complimentary Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for consumer users through October 2027.
Last month brought additional announcements: Windows Server 2022 enters the end of mainstream support this week, transitioning to extended support until October 14, 2031. Simultaneously, Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro editions stop receiving updates this week, though Enterprise and Education variants of 24H2 remain under mainstream support through October 2027.
Microsoft also cautioned recently that machines operating unsupported Windows versions will lose security update access following the Windows Update certificate rotation scheduled for next year.