Unsupported Windows will lose Windows Update access in 2027
Microsoft set May 17 and June 19, 2027 as cutoff dates; PCs that miss the required update beforehand will stop getting security patches.
Windows PCs that lack the new certificates will stop receiving updates from Windows Update on one of two dates in 2027: May 17 or June 19. Microsoft announced it on Oct. 8 in the Windows message center.
The certificates are the credentials a PC uses to confirm it is talking to a genuine Microsoft server. When they expire without a replacement, the PC no longer trusts the service and cannot download security patches.
For people on a supported version who install monthly updates, the change should go unnoticed: according to Microsoft, the replacements already arrived in earlier patches. The problem is for anyone keeping a PC on an unsupported version, which does not get those patches and cannot fix it by installing one more.
The minimum update the company asks for depends on the version:
| Windows version | Minimum update | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 25H2 and later | None | Not applicable |
| Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 | September 2025 security update | June 19, 2027 |
| Other supported Windows 11, Server 2022 and supported Windows 10 | July 2026 security update | June 19, 2027 |
| Server 2019, Server 2016 and Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC | July 2026 security update | May 17, 2027 |
| Any other version | Move to a supported version | Not applicable |
PCs that get their updates through WSUS, the server companies use to distribute them internally, are outside this change, according to the notice. Microsoft also published a post for administrators with more detail.
Microsoft does not say what happens to machines that are updated by hand and do not use WSUS. For companies and schools, the margin to find unsupported computers is seven months.
