Microsoft reminds Windows 10 21H2 users about imminent end of service… and forced upgrades

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Microsoft reminds Windows 10 21H2 users about imminent end of service… and forced upgrades

Worry not though - users can expect to be upgraded to Windows 10 22H2, which will remain supported for some time to come.

Published on 16th May 2023

No operating system is supported forever, and this is true of Windows 10. In fact, anyone using Windows 10 21H2 has just one month of servicing left.

As such, Microsoft has issued a reminder about the approaching end of service, giving users time to prepare. The company has also confirmed that anyone still running this version of Windows should expect to be automatically updated to a supported version of Windows.

The date for diaries is June 13, and this is the day that Window 10 21H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations editions reach end of servicing. After this date, there will be no more monthly security updates released unless, of course, Microsoft changes its mind in extreme circumstances — which is not unknown.

In its reminder announcement, Microsoft also informs users of Windows 10 21H2 that they can expect to have their operating system forcibly upgraded so that security updates can still be delivered.

The full announcement reads:

Reminder: End of servicing for Windows 10, version 21H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations

On June 13, 2023, Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions of Windows 10, version 21H2 will reach end of servicing. The upcoming June 2023 security update, to be released on June 13, 2023, will be the last update available for these versions. After this date, devices running these version will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

To help keep you protected and productive, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for Windows 10 consumer devices and non-managed business devices that are at, or within several months of, reaching end of servicing. This keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health. For these devices, you will be able to choose a convenient time for your device to restart and complete the update.
As always, we recommend that you update your devices to the latest version of Windows 10, or upgrade eligible devices to Windows 11. For detailed information, see the Windows 10, version 21H2 end of servicing (Home & Pro) lifecycle page. For information about servicing timelines and lifecycle, see Windows 10 release information, Windows 11 release information, Lifecycle FAQ - Windows, and Microsoft Lifecycle Policy search tool.

To be clear, this does not mean that users of Windows 10 21H2 will have Windows 11 forced upon them, even if this is what Microsoft would prefer to do. What it does mean is that users can expect to be upgraded to Windows 10 22H2, which will remain supported for some time to come.