Still on Windows 11 23H2? Microsoft will soon force you to upgrade to 25H2 – for your own good

• Windows 11 23H2 is now officially out of support
• It will no longer get security updates going forward
• Microsoft will therefore force people on Windows 11 23H2 to upgrade to 25H2

If you're still yet to move onto Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, then Microsoft has a reminder for you: version 23H2 is now officially out of support, and you'll soon be forced to upgrade.

Neowin picked up Microsoft's announcement in an update issued via the Windows release health dashboard, which states: "As of November 11, 2025, Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, version 23H2 have reached end of servicing."

Note that Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 23H2 are different, and will get updates for a further year (until November 2026). However, the November 2025 monthly update for Windows 11, which arrived earlier this week, is the final update that consumers on Home or Pro editions of Windows 11 23H2 will receive.

That means those folks will be in the same boat as people running Windows 10 (who haven't secured extended support), and with no security updates going forward, their PC could be open to future exploits, as any such vulnerabilities will not be patched.

Analysis: forced upgrades for almost everyone – except those with a very outdated PC

Because of the situation around vulnerabilities – and the security dangers therein – Microsoft recommends that you "move to version 25H2 to try the latest Windows innovations". Of course, version 25H2 is pretty much the same as 24H2, just with a few extra trimmings (there really isn't much difference, though, a topic I've explored in the past).

Indeed, Microsoft will be forcing people to upgrade from Windows 11 23H2. As the firm also informs us: "Devices running Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, version 23H2 that are not managed by IT departments will receive the Windows 11, version 25H2 update automatically. You can choose the time to restart your device or postpone the update."

If you're on Windows 11 Home, though, as most people will be, you can only postpone the update for a short time – meaning it won't be long before an upgrade is compulsory. This is for your own good, mind, to ensure that your operating system remains up-to-date with security patches.

That said, there's a slightly sticky area with this particular forced upgrade, as not all machines can move on from version 23H2 of Windows 11. This is because some older processors don't support particular instructions (POPCNT, or 'population count', among others), which are mandatory for upgrading to version 24H2 (or 25H2, which, as noted, is pretty much identical).

Those devices will be out of luck completely, but the good news is that only very old CPUs won't support said instructions, so just a niche set of seriously aged computers will be caught out here. That said, owners of those PCs will have to find a different way forward with their system other than Windows 11, at least if they want to stay protected from threats.

One possible solution could be a downgrade to Windows 10 – and then picking up Microsoft's extended support through to October 2026 – or perhaps more likely, a complete change of direction and a shift over to Linux. (There are some Linux distros that are quite Windows-friendly in terms of being a relatively similar environment, although clearly there are still big differences between the two platforms.)

The best computers for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best computers
1. Best Windows:
Dell Tower Plus
2. Best Mac:
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