Microsoft stopped issuing updates on October 13, 2026 for the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 version 24H2 and for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016. The same day, Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 reached their end dates, and the last year of paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ran out.

In a post in the Windows message center, Microsoft said “the October 2026 monthly security update is the last update available for these editions,” and that devices running them will no longer receive monthly security and non-security preview updates. Version 24H2 had been available to Home and Pro users since October 1, 2024, according to Microsoft’s lifecycle page for Windows 11 Home and Pro.

Microsoft recommended moving those machines to Windows 11 version 26H2 or 25H2. The Enterprise and Education editions of version 24H2 remain supported until October 12, 2027. Version 26H2 began rolling out on September 29, first to devices running 25H2 or 24H2 that have the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” setting turned on, with availability expanding gradually over the following months, the message center says.

For Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016, Microsoft pointed customers to the latest Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release, Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024, and said ESU are available for organizations that need more time to complete their transition.

Office 2021 and Windows Server 2012

Microsoft’s list of products ending support in 2026 shows Office 2021 retiring on October 13, along with Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Publisher, Visio and Word 2021. Office LTSC 2021 and its individual apps, plus Skype for Business LTSC 2021, reached end of support on the same date. The page says that upon retirement or end of support “there will be no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.”

For Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, October 13 marked the end of ESU Year 3. Microsoft’s lifecycle FAQ on Extended Security Updates describes the program as a “last resort paid option” covering critical and important security updates for up to three years after a product’s end of extended support, which for these server versions was October 10, 2023. The FAQ calls ESU “a temporary bridge to stay secure while one migrates to a newer, supported platform.”

Customers who moved Windows Server 2012 workloads to Azure received ESU for those three years at no charge beyond the cost of running the virtual machine, according to the FAQ. Its table of ESU dates lists no fourth year for the 2012 releases.

Also on October 13, Windows Server 2022 moved from mainstream to extended support. Microsoft says extended support includes security updates at no cost, but the company will not accept requests for design changes or new features during that phase.

Windows 10: one deadline moved, one did not

The FAQ’s table shows the first year of commercial ESU for Windows 10 ending on October 13, 2026, with Year 2 running to October 12, 2027 and Year 3 to October 10, 2028. Those dates apply to the Enterprise, Education and Pro editions in commercial use.

Home users are on a different schedule. The consumer ESU program had been due to end on October 13, 2026, but Microsoft extended it to October 12, 2027 without a formal announcement, Help Net Security reported in June. The change appeared in Microsoft’s ESU documentation and in an editor’s note on a Windows Experience Blog post. Consumers can enroll by syncing PC settings with Windows Backup at no additional cost, by redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or by buying a one-year license for $30 plus applicable taxes, the report said.

Why it matters

PCs left on Windows 11 24H2 Home or Pro, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 machines without ESU, will not receive fixes for vulnerabilities addressed after the October 2026 update. Microsoft’s guidance for the Windows 11 machines is to move to 25H2 or 26H2, both of which continue to receive monthly security and quality updates.

For Office 2021, Office LTSC 2021 and Windows Server 2012, the lifecycle pages list no further extension. Organizations still running those products are now outside Microsoft’s security update coverage for them, and the company’s lifecycle guidance points to newer, supported releases.

What to watch

More dates follow shortly. Microsoft’s 2026 list shows .NET 8, PowerShell 7.4 and the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 version 23H2 reaching end of servicing on November 10, 2026.

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