Microsoft Windows 10 21H2 support will officially end for businesses and education institutions in June

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh
·2 min read
Windows 10 laptop.
Windows 10 laptop.

Microsoft Windows 10 21H2 Enterprise and Education support will officially end on June 10, 2024. Anyone still running 21H2 will no longer receive official support from Microsoft, nor will they get further security or bug patches. When such users contact Microsoft for support, they will be directed to upgrade to Windows 11, though such users could also upgrade to Windows 10 22H2.

Support for Windows 10 21H2 for Home and Office editions ended on June 13, 2023. Users who don't wish to upgrade to Windows 11 can always upgrade to Windows 10 22H2, which will reach the end of the road on October 14, 2025. Microsoft has forcefully rolled out Windows 11 23H2 for any remaining Windows 10 and older Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 users.

This end-of-life notification affects all variations of these Windows 10 editions:

  • Windows 10 Enterprise, version 21H2

  • Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 21H2

  • Windows 10 Education, version 21H2

  • Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, version 21H2

There might be certain challenges for some businesses and education institutions in upgrading to Windows 11, as certain hardware requirements need to be met. Windows 11 Enterprise and Education Edition have lower requirements but still need UEFI, secure boot, DX12 compatible graphics, and TPM 2.0. That last is likely to be
a sticking point with systems more than five years old.

Larger institutions typically have service and upgrade contracts that will upgrade systems as needed. That's less likely with smaller organizations, including certain developing nations. Upgrading to Windows 10 22H2 should be relatively simple, as the requirements are the same as 21H2, but that's only pushing back the final support date one more year. However, Microsoft provides an annual subscription for extended Windows 10 updates should such users need continued updates and patches. Compatible IoT devices that use Windows can also be upgraded to its Windows 11 variant.

Microsoft will be ending its support for all versions of Windows 10, along with Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2, in 2025. Windows 10 is currently nine years old, so it's slated for a ten-year run before it hits the end of normal support next year.