Original Windows 11 will soon reach its end of life

A Windows 11 logo

Not so long ago, Microsoft stopped servicing Windows 10 version 21H2, leaving version 22H2 the only supported Windows 10 release. Even though Windows 10's successor still feels fresh (and controversial), it is time to discuss its upcoming end of life.

Microsoft has issued a notification for those still using the original Windows 11 release, version 21H2: the operating system will reach its end of life on October 10, 2023. End of support means the release will no longer receive cumulative updates with fixes, security patches, and new features.

According to a post on the official documentation, the upcoming end of support affects the following Windows 11 editions released in October 2021:

Windows 11 Home, version 21H2
Windows 11 Pro, version 21H2
Windows 11 Pro for Workstations, version 21H2
Windows 11 Pro Education, version 21H2

If you run one of those SKUs, time to visit Windows Update and pull the trigger on version 22H2 and its "Moment" feature updates (all those updates are free). Those releases contain a myriad of changes and long-requested features to improve the original and highly controversial release. You can check out our reviews covering each Windows 11 feature update here:

Microsoft plans to release another feature update later this year. Windows 11 version "23H2" should bring taskbar labels and the "never combine" option, multiple improvements for the Settings app, the Dev Home app, a redesigned volume mixer, a revamped File Explorer, and many more. Check out our recent "Top 5 features coming soon to Windows 11" for more details.

Finally, it is worth noting that the end of Windows 11 version 21H2 will not affect customers using Windows 10 version 22H2. The latter will remain supported for two more years, but users should not expect new feature updates or significant changes.