Windows 11 24H2 and Office 2021 Support End October 13, 2026

Microsoft’s 2026 support calendar spans Windows 11, Office, SQL Server, Windows Server, SharePoint, Exchange, developer tooling, and Azure services. As of this article’s July 12 publication date, the widest consumer deadline is October 13, when Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro and the Office 2021 family reach end of support. The immediate enterprise deadline is July 14 for SQL Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019, Project Server 2016 and 2019, Visual Studio 2022 LTSC 17.12, InfoPath 2013, and SharePoint Designer 2013.
For WindowsForum readers, the useful way to sort this calendar is by the work required: update in place, buy or relicense, migrate a workload, or redesign something built around a retiring service. Products whose deadlines passed on January 13, April 14, or June 6 are already remediation cases, not future planning targets.

Check If You’re Affected​

Windows PCs​

On each Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select System > About.
3. Under Windows specifications, record Edition and Version.
4. Press Win+R, enter winver, and press Enter to confirm the displayed release.

These combinations map to the 2026 deadlines in this article:

• Windows 11 Home, version 24H2: October 13, 2026.
• Windows 11 Pro, version 24H2: October 13, 2026.
• Windows 11 Enterprise, version 23H2: November 10, 2026.
• Windows 11 Education, version 23H2: November 10, 2026.
• Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, version 23H2: November 10, 2026.
• Windows 11 SE: October 1, 2026.
• Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB: October 13, 2026.
• Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB: October 13, 2026.

Edition matters. A device showing Windows 11 version 24H2 is not automatically in the October 2026 group: the October 13 date applies to Home and Pro, while Enterprise and Education 24H2 have a later servicing deadline.
If the About page and winver output do not agree with an inventory record, trust the information reported by the device and investigate why management data is stale.

Office installations​

Open Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or another installed Office application, then:

1. Select File > Account.
2. Review the product name under Product Information.
3. Select About Word, About Excel, or About [app] to see the full product and version information.

If the displayed product name says Office 2021, Office Home & Student 2021, Office Home & Business 2021, Office Professional 2021, or Office LTSC 2021, the relevant deadline is October 13, 2026. The same date applies to the 2021 perpetual releases of individual Office applications, including Project and Visio.
Do not rely on an application’s build number alone. The product or license name is necessary to distinguish a perpetual 2021 installation from a Microsoft 365 installation using a similar application interface.

Servers and managed estates​

Administrators can collect Windows edition, release, build, and server details with PowerShell:

Get-ComputerInfo |
    Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsEditionId,
                  WindowsVersion, OsName, OsVersion, OsBuildNumber

For a smaller Windows client query:

Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion' |
    Select-Object ProductName, EditionID, DisplayVersion,
                  CurrentBuild, UBR

On Windows Server, winver, systeminfo, and Get-ComputerInfo can identify whether a machine is running Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. Those servers are in their final verified ESU period, which ends October 13, 2026.
To identify SQL Server, connect through SQL Server Management Studio or another SQL client and run:
SELECT @@VERSION;
For structured edition and version fields, also run:

SELECT
    SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS ProductVersion,
    SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') AS ProductLevel,
    SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS Edition;

A result identifying Microsoft SQL Server 2016 maps to the July 14 deadline.
In Configuration Manager, open the console and go to Administration > Site Configuration > Sites. Select the site and review its displayed version. You can also open About Configuration Manager from the console menu to check the console version, but the site version is the key estate-wide value. A site still on 2409 is already beyond its June 6 servicing deadline and needs remediation.
For Exchange Server, open the Exchange Management Shell and run:

Get-ExchangeServer |
    Format-List Name, Edition, AdminDisplayVersion

Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 already reached end of support in October 2025. Organizations using their ESU bridge must account for the final October 31, 2026 cutoff.
For SharePoint, open SharePoint Central Administration, then go to Upgrade and Migration > Check product and patch installation status. SharePoint administrators can also run:
(Get-SPFarm).BuildVersion
Use Microsoft’s build documentation to translate the reported build into a SharePoint release and patch level. SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019 map to the July 14 deadline. Project Server deployments tied to those SharePoint generations require the same immediate review.
For installed PowerShell versions, use:
$PSVersionTable
Run that command inside each installed PowerShell host. Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7 are separate products and can exist side by side. To find PowerShell 7 installations registered with Windows:

Get-ChildItem 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShellCore\InstalledVersions' |
    ForEach-Object {
        Get-ItemProperty $_.PSPath
    } |
    Select-Object PSChildName, SemanticVersion, InstallLocation

PowerShell 7.4 maps to November 10, 2026.
To identify installed .NET runtimes and SDKs where the .NET command-line tool is available:

dotnet --list-runtimes
dotnet --list-sdks

Results beginning with Microsoft.NETCore.App 8. or 9. require review against the November 10 deadline. Inventory both runtimes and SDKs because application hosts and build machines have different requirements.

Turn the Lifecycle Calendar Into Four Work Queues​

End of support is not normally a kill switch. An affected Windows, Office, SQL Server, or server installation may continue to start after its deadline. That does not make continued operation equivalent to supported operation: the product has left its regular servicing lifecycle, and any available extension must be confirmed separately.
The better operational model is to place every affected system into one of four queues:

1. Update in place — a supported feature release, management-platform update, runtime, or tool version can be deployed to existing systems.
2. Buy or relicense — continued supported use requires another perpetual purchase, a subscription, or an applicable ESU entitlement.
3. Migrate workload — data, applications, databases, mail, or collaboration services must move to a supported product.
4. Service retirement requiring redesign — an application depends on a service that will retire rather than remain available as an unsupported installation.

The first queue can often be handled through normal servicing. The other three require owners, budgets, dependency testing, and explicit acceptance criteria.

Status and deadline	Products or families	Work classification	Required direction
Expired January 13, 2026	Dynamics CRM 2016; Visual Studio 2022 LTSC 17.10	Remediation: migrate workload or update tooling	Plan a supported replacement
Expired April 14, 2026	Dynamics GP, NAV, and C5 2016 releases; App-V, MBAM, DaRT, and UE-V tools	Remediation: migrate workload or replace tooling	Plan a supported replacement
Expired June 6, 2026	Configuration Manager 2409	Remediation: update in place	Move to Configuration Manager 2503 or later
Immediate: July 14, 2026	SQL Server 2016; SharePoint and Project Server 2016/2019; Visual Studio 2022 LTSC 17.12; InfoPath 2013; SharePoint Designer 2013	Migrate workload, update tooling, or buy an eligible bridge	SQL Server 2019/2022; SharePoint Server Subscription Edition; supported tooling; SQL Server ESU where applicable
September 30, 2026	Azure API for FHIR; Azure FXT Edge Filer	Service retirement requiring redesign	Identify dependencies and plan a supported replacement
October 1, 2026	Azure Anomaly Detector; Azure Metrics Advisor; Azure Personalizer; Windows 11 SE	Service redesign or OS replacement	Plan a supported replacement
October 13, 2026	Windows 11 24H2 Home/Pro; Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021; final Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 ESU period; Windows 10 2016 LTSB variants	Update in place, buy/relicense, or migrate workload	Supported Windows release; Office LTSC 2024 or Microsoft 365; supported Windows Server release
October 31, 2026	Final Exchange Server and Skype for Business Server ESU period	Migrate workload or relicense	Exchange Server Subscription Edition or another supported replacement
November 10, 2026	Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise; .NET 8; .NET 9; PowerShell 7.4	Update in place plus application testing	Later supported Windows, .NET, and PowerShell releases

July 14 Is an Immediate Infrastructure Deadline​

SQL Server 2016 is one of the most consequential products in the July group because databases often sit beneath ERP systems, reporting stacks, line-of-business software, and integrations. A healthy-looking database server may still have application, authentication, reporting, backup, or vendor dependencies that make a rushed upgrade risky.
Microsoft offers SQL Server 2016 Extended Security Updates for up to three years after July 14, with Year 1 pricing beginning July 15. That can provide additional time for an eligible deployment, but administrators should treat it as a separately funded bridge. Confirm eligibility, enrollment, licensing, and update deployment rather than assuming that an existing SQL Server license automatically supplies ESUs.
SQL Server 2019 and SQL Server 2022 are the identified conventional upgrade targets. Before selecting one, capture the current SQL edition, product version, database compatibility levels, server-level objects, service accounts, backup jobs, and application owners. Build a test instance, restore representative databases, redirect a test application, and validate backup and recovery before changing production.
SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 and Project Server 2016 and 2019 reach their deadlines on the same day. SharePoint Server Subscription Edition is a named on-premises route. Farms should be inventoried at both the server and solution levels: record farm build versions, databases, web applications, service applications, authentication configuration, custom solutions, and the business owners of major sites.
InfoPath 2013 and SharePoint Designer 2013 also reach their cutoffs on July 14. Their presence should trigger a search for forms, workflows, and site customizations that depend on them. The immediate objective is discovery: determine which processes are still active, who owns them, and whether the target SharePoint environment supports the required behavior.
Visual Studio 2022 LTSC 17.12 is primarily an update-in-place or tooling-standardization task. Development teams should check both interactive workstations and build agents. Updating a developer’s desktop while leaving a CI runner on an expired toolchain does not complete the remediation.

October 13 Combines Windows Servicing With New License Decisions​

Windows 11 24H2 has been widely installed on consumer PCs, making its October 13 deadline important beyond enthusiast systems. The verified lifecycle fact is that version 24H2 reaches end of servicing on that date for Home and Pro editions.
The normal response is an update to a supported Windows release, but administrators and home users should not assume every PC will complete it automatically. Check Windows Update, available disk space, update errors, safeguard messages, and organizational policies. Back up important data before forcing a feature update, and confirm that the resulting edition and version changed under Settings > System > About.
The edition split is a common source of bad inventory decisions. Windows 11 Enterprise and Education 24H2 are not governed by the Home and Pro October 2026 deadline. Inventory systems therefore need both edition and version, not a generic count of “Windows 11 24H2” devices.
Office 2021 reaches end of support on October 13 as well. This includes Office LTSC 2021 and the 2021 releases of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, OneNote, Publisher, Visio, and Project. A perpetual license may continue to authorize use after that date, but the license does not extend the product’s support lifecycle.
The supported choices identified here are Microsoft 365 or a new perpetual purchase such as Office LTSC 2024, which is supported through 2029. There is no free in-place entitlement from Office 2021 to Office LTSC 2024, so this belongs in the buy or relicense queue even when deployment itself is straightforward.
Publisher requires separate attention. Microsoft plans to retire Publisher after October 2026, there is no Publisher 2024, and its native files use the .pub extension. Organizations should inventory those files now and identify which ones need to be retained as final output and which must remain editable. Keep a controlled copy of source files and test any chosen conversion process before removing existing Publisher installations.

The Windows Server 2012 Bridge Ends in October​

Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 left normal support in October 2023 and received three additional years of Extended Security Updates. The verified final cutoff for that three-year period is October 13, 2026.
Administrators should not treat this as a routine patch-cycle item. Start with discovery:

Get-ADComputer -Filter * -Properties OperatingSystem,OperatingSystemVersion |
    Select-Object Name, OperatingSystem, OperatingSystemVersion

Active Directory data can be stale, so validate candidate systems directly with Get-ComputerInfo, systeminfo, or your management platform. Check virtual-machine inventories, backup consoles, monitoring systems, vulnerability scanners, and network records for servers that may not be reporting to the main endpoint tool.
For each 2012 or 2012 R2 server, record its workload, owner, application vendor, authentication dependencies, data location, backup status, recovery procedure, and target platform. Windows Server 2025 is the named replacement in the reported lifecycle guidance, but the actual destination must be tested against the workload’s support requirements.
Unknown ownership is not a reason to leave a server untouched. It is a risk flag. Use DNS records, listening ports, installed services, scheduled tasks, recent logons, database connections, and network-flow data to identify likely consumers before scheduling migration or retirement.

Exchange and Skype for Business Are Already in Bridge Time​

Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 reached end of support in October 2025. ESU Period 1 expired in April 2026, and ESU Period 2 ends October 31, 2026. Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 follow the same two-period schedule.
These are remediation projects now, not October planning exercises. Confirm the deployed server versions with Exchange Management Shell, verify whether the organization has valid coverage for the remaining bridge, and document the target state. Exchange Server Subscription Edition is the named supported on-premises replacement for Exchange.
Discovery should include more than server names. Record database locations, namespaces, certificates, connectors, transport rules, accepted domains, relay dependencies, public folders, backup coverage, and applications that send mail through Exchange. For Skype for Business Server, identify pools, conferencing dependencies, gateways, telephone-number handling, and client populations before selecting a supported replacement.

Smaller Retirements Can Still Force Large Projects​

Windows 11 SE reaches end of support on October 1. Microsoft announced in 2025 that further development would not continue, but the available facts do not establish an exact one-year interval between that announcement and retirement. Schools using Windows 11 SE should inventory devices, verify hardware capabilities, and plan a supported replacement rather than assuming the devices can remain indefinitely on the education-focused edition.
Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB reach end of extended support on October 13. These editions may be present on kiosks, manufacturing systems, medical equipment, and other fixed-purpose devices. Check vendor support and operational requirements before changing the operating system, and distinguish ordinary enterprise PCs from devices whose complete hardware and software configuration is controlled by a supplier.
The November 10 developer deadline combines Windows and runtime servicing. Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise 23H2 reach their deadline alongside .NET 8, .NET 9, and PowerShell 7.4. Later supported releases are the required direction, but runtime changes need application and automation testing.
Use dotnet --list-runtimes on application hosts and dotnet --list-sdks on build systems. Search deployment files, containers, CI definitions, and application configuration for explicit runtime pins. For PowerShell, inventory scheduled tasks, service accounts, module versions, remoting endpoints, and scripts with a #requires statement before changing the host version.
Configuration Manager 2409’s June 6 deadline has already passed. In the console, verify the site version under Administration > Site Configuration > Sites, review prerequisite checks and site health, and plan an update to 2503 or later. Confirm that site servers, consoles, and clients complete the transition rather than recording the project as finished when only the primary site has changed.
The Azure retirements require a different response because a hosted service retirement cannot be handled by accepting the risk of an old local binary. Azure API for FHIR and Azure FXT Edge Filer retire September 30. Azure Anomaly Detector, Azure Metrics Advisor, and Azure Personalizer retire October 1. Identify subscriptions and applications that use those services, assign an owner, obtain the applicable service retirement guidance, and plan a supported replacement architecture.

Prioritized Action Plan​

The January 13, April 14, and June 6 deadlines have passed. Any remaining Dynamics CRM 2016, affected Dynamics 2016 releases, legacy management tools, Visual Studio 17.10 LTSC, or Configuration Manager 2409 installations belong in an exception and remediation process now.
The next priorities should be:

1. By July 14: confirm the status of every SQL Server 2016 instance, SharePoint or Project Server 2016/2019 farm, affected Visual Studio installation, InfoPath dependency, and SharePoint Designer workflow.
2. During July: complete Windows and Office edition-level inventory, identify Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 systems, and reconcile Exchange and Skype for Business coverage.
3. Before September: finish dependency discovery for retiring Azure services and Windows 11 SE fleets.
4. Before October: pilot Windows feature updates, approve Office purchasing or subscription decisions, test server migrations, and preserve required Publisher files.
5. Before November: update Windows 11 23H2 enterprise fleets and validate applications, build pipelines, and automation against supported .NET and PowerShell versions.

Action checklist for admins​

• [ ] Capture product, edition, version, build, servicing channel, owner, business criticality, and deadline.
• [ ] Mark January 13, April 14, and June 6 products as expired—remediation required.
• [ ] Use SELECT @@VERSION and SERVERPROPERTY queries to locate and classify SQL Server 2016 instances.
• [ ] Verify Configuration Manager under Administration > Site Configuration > Sites and update 2409 sites to 2503 or later.
• [ ] Use Get-ExchangeServer and SharePoint Central Administration or Get-SPFarm to verify server generations.
• [ ] Use Get-ComputerInfo, registry queries, winver, and Active Directory discovery to identify affected Windows clients and servers.
• [ ] Run dotnet --list-runtimes, dotnet --list-sdks, and $PSVersionTable on application hosts and build systems.
• [ ] Confirm SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 ESU status wherever migration will not finish before the applicable cutoff.
• [ ] Test database, SharePoint, Exchange, runtime, PowerShell, and operating-system changes against real dependencies.
• [ ] Inventory .pub files and validate a retention or conversion process before Publisher’s retirement.
• [ ] Give every migration a named owner, target product, budget, test plan, rollback procedure, and completion date.
• [ ] Re-scan after deployment so that stale inventory does not conceal systems that missed the change.

Microsoft’s 2026 calendar is manageable when it is divided by remediation type rather than treated as one enormous upgrade event. Windows 11 feature servicing belongs in the update-in-place queue; Office 2021 creates a purchase or licensing decision; SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange, and Windows Server require workload migration; and retiring Azure services can require application redesign.
The immediate job is July 14 remediation. The larger objective is to complete October purchasing, testing, and migration work before those deadlines become emergency change windows. Lifecycle management works best as a continuous inventory-and-ownership discipline—not as a project that begins when the last supported month appears on the calendar.

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References​

1. Primary source: Windows Latest
   Published: 2026-07-12T17:39:07+00:00
   
   

   Microsoft reveals 15+ products losing support in 2026, check if you're affected

   Windows 11 24H2, Office 2021, and SQL Server 2016 headline a long list of Microsoft products losing support in 2026. See the full list.

   www.windowslatest.com
2. Official source: learn.microsoft.com
   
   

   Windows 11 Home and Pro - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn

   Windows 11 Home and Pro follows the Modern Lifecycle Policy.

   learn.microsoft.com
3. Official source: support.microsoft.com
   
   

   Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 | Microsoft Support

   Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026

   support.microsoft.com
4. Official source: microsoft.com
   
   

   Slide 1: Windows and Office configuration support matrix System requirements: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-and-office-resources | Last updated: Oct 11, 2023

   PDF document

   www.microsoft.com
5. Official source: techcommunity.microsoft.com
   
   https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft_365blog/only-6-months-until-office-ltsc-2021-end-of-support-%E2%80%93-are-you-ready/4509673
6. Related coverage: cyber.gov.au
   
   https://www.cyber.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-09/end_of_support_for_microsoft_windows_and_microsoft_windows_server_september_2025.pdf