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.
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