The Windows 11 Update That You Can’t Refuse

Microsoft is about to forcibly update Windows 11 systems that are still running an outdated version of Windows 11.

Forced updates are reasonably rare from Microsoft, which generally lets users choose when they want to apply patches. However, Microsoft’s patience only stretches so far.

Consequently, the company has announced that customers still running the 2022 releases of Windows 11 will be forced to accept a “feature update”.

The mandatory update applies to systems running either the Home or Pro edition of Windows 11 version 22H2.

What Version Of Windows Will You Get?

Curiously, Microsoft is choosing to upgrade users to Windows 11 version 23H2, the major feature upgrade that was released last year.

The company will this fall release Windows 11 version 24H2, containing a range of new features. It’s not clear why the company is choosing to force an upgrade on users, only for them to be offered another major feature update within a matter of days or weeks.

“To help keep you protected and productive, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for Windows 11 Home and Pro devices that are not managed by IT departments when these are nearing end of servicing,” Microsoft states in its advisory.

“Moving to Windows 11, version 23H2 keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health.”

Each consumer version of Windows 11 has a two-year support lifecycle, meaning that version 23H2 will expire in November 2025.

Business Versions Retired

Microsoft has also announced the end of support for business-oriented versions of Windows 11 that were released in 2021. PCs running the Enterprise, Education or IoT Enterprise versions of Windows 11 version 21H2 will “will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats,” Microsoft warns.

Unlike the consumer versions of Windows, Microsoft doesn’t forcibly impose updates on business machines, meaning IT departments must ensure that they manually update their systems to ensure they remain protected from emerging security threats.

Windows 11 24H2 Release Date

Microsoft has yet to confirm when this year’s major feature update, version 24H2, will be offered to consumers.

It’s been released for testing with the so-called Windows Insiders (customers who volunteer to test forthcoming releases of the operating system) for several weeks now, but the company is yet to announce an official launch date.

They are generally released in September or October, although this year’s release has proved a little more problematic than most. Microsoft began testing a controversial AI feature called Recall, which would allow Windows users to ask the AI to retrieve details of almost anything they had done or read on the computer previously.

However, it soon emerged that Recall had a major security flaw that would allow hackers to access a plain-text database of everything the AI had captured. Recall was quickly pulled from testing and will now be released later this year, separately from Windows 11 24H2. It will only be available to customers who own a new Copilot+ computer with a dedicated AI chip.