Multiple editions of Windows 10 21H1 have reached their end of service (EOS) on this month's Patch Tuesday, as Microsoft reminded customers yesterday.
Tuesday's announcement comes after
three other warnings since September that this Windows version (also known as the May 2021 Update) will reach its retirement date on December 13, 2022.
Since Windows 10 21H1 will no longer receive security updates, customers are advised to upgrade to the latest release as soon as possible to avoid exposing their systems to attacks exploiting unpatched security vulnerabilities.
"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," Microsoft
said.
"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."
The complete list of Windows 10 21H1 editions that have reached EOS this Tuesday includes:
- Windows 10 Enterprise, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Education, version 21H1
- Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Home, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Pro, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Pro Education, version 21H1
- Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, version 21H1
Windows 10 22H2 in broad deployment
Microsoft announced the
availability of Windows 10 22H2 (aka the Windows 10 2022 Update) on October 18. The feature update entered the final roll-out phase one month later, and it's
now in broad deployment since November 18.
The feature update can be installed on eligible devices via Windows Update by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking the "Check for updates" button. After the update is ready for your device, you will see the option to "Download and install" it on your system.
You can also install the latest Windows 10 release using the
Windows 10 Media Creation tool, which will allow you to upgrade or create an ISO for a clean install of Windows 10 21H2.
Windows 10 22H2 is being offered to customers with devices running Windows 10 20H2 or later if they're not affected by compatibility holds and haven't been configured to defer feature updates.
Some eligible Windows devices may also be offered to upgrade to the latest version, Windows 11 (aka the Windows 11 2022 Update), which has been in broad deployment
since January 2022.
Since October 4, Windows 11 22H2 has also been
available to all seekers on eligible devices after entering a new deployment phase.
You can check if your Windows 10 device is eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade using the
PC Health Check app or checking
Windows 11 specs, features, and computer requirements.
Microsoft also provides this
guided walk-through and a
support document to help work around errors encountered upgrading to the latest Windows version.
