Windows 11 version 24H2, in its Home and Pro editions, stops getting security updates on Tuesday 13th October 2026. Microsoft releases one big Windows 11 update a year and names it after the half of the year it arrives in, so 24H2 is the 2024 Update, released on 1st October 2024. After the 13th, a PC still on it no longer gets monthly security updates, fixes for known issues, time zone updates or technical support. Enterprise and Education, the editions that IT departments and schools deploy, stay supported until 12th October 2027.
To see which version you have, open Settings > System > About. If it says 24H2, the fix is small. The next two versions, 25H2 and 26H2, install as an enablement package, a small download that switches on features already sitting on your PC, followed by one restart. Microsoft says Home and Pro PCs that no IT department manages will get 25H2 automatically, but you can postpone it, so check yourself. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. If it offers the 25H2 or 26H2 update, install it before the 13th.
The better target is 26H2, the 2026 Update, which Microsoft released on 29th September for PCs on 24H2 or 25H2. It is arriving in stages, and Microsoft may hold it back on a PC where it has found a compatibility problem. Turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” in Windows Update asks for it early. The version you land on decides how long you are covered, because each new release restarts the clock at 24 months for Home and Pro:
| Windows 11 version | Home and Pro updates end |
|---|---|
| 24H2 | 13th October 2026 |
| 25H2 | 12th October 2027 |
| 26H2 | 10th October 2028 |
So 25H2 buys you a year and 26H2 buys you two.
Windows 10 and Extended Security Updates
Windows 10 itself lost support on 14th October 2025. A Windows 10 PC that isn’t enrolled in anything gets no more security updates. The way to keep them is Extended Security Updates, or ESU, a Microsoft programme that sends the critical and important security patches to Windows 10 version 22H2 PCs. It adds no features and no technical support.
The consumer programme was due to end on 13th October 2026. On 25th June 2026, Microsoft added a year in an editor’s note on its Windows blog, so it now ends on 12th October 2027. PCs already enrolled carry on automatically. Anyone else can enrol at any time before that date, and the patches released since October 2025 arrive once you do.
There are three ways in. Two cost nothing: backing up your PC settings to a Microsoft account, or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. The third is a one-off payment of USD 30 plus tax, or about KES 3,900. One licence covers up to 10 PCs signed in to the same Microsoft account. The PC needs Windows 10 version 22H2 with the latest updates, an administrator Microsoft account that isn’t a child account, and it can’t be joined to a work domain or enrolled in a company’s device management. To start, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Enroll now.
ESU matters most for PCs that can’t run Windows 11. Windows 11 needs a TPM 2.0 security chip, UEFI firmware that supports Secure Boot, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a compatible 64-bit processor with two or more cores. A PC that falls short has no upgrade path, and ESU keeps it patched until the programme ends.
Windows 10 is less common in Kenya than worldwide. Statcounter’s September 2026 data puts it on 20.7% of Windows desktop traffic in Kenya, against 27.83% worldwide. Windows 11 is on 79.1% in Kenya and 71.44% worldwide. Microsoft’s ESU page says enrolment options and timing may vary by region.
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