In three short months, Microsoft is ending support for various editions of Windows 10 21H2. This means that not only will there be no more new features or bug fixes, there will also be no more security updates released for the operating system.
Running any version of Windows that is not in receipt of security updates is a bad idea, but as this latest announcement includes numerous Enterprise and Education versions of Windows 10, the impact could be huge.
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The cut-off date for support of Windows 10 21H2 is June 11, Microsoft advises in a post on its Microsoft Lifecycle Policy page. The company is not leaving users of this version of Windows 10 — also known as the Windows 10 November 2021 update — out in the cold. Although it will not be possible to obtain further updates, Microsoft is encouraging users to upgrade to at least Windows 10 22H2.
The company would prefer, it pretty much goes without saying, that people upgrade to Windows 11. Microsoft says:
Windows 10, version 21H2 will reach the end of updates on June 11, 2024. This applies to the following editions released in November of 2021:
– Windows 10 Enterprise, version 21H2
– Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 21H2
– Windows 10 Education, version 21H2
– Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, version 21H2
These editions will no longer receive security updates after June 11, 2024. Customers who contact Microsoft Support after this date will be directed to update their device to the latest version of Windows 10 or upgrade to Windows 11 to remain supported.
More information is available here.
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