Here's your reminder that today, October 8, is the last day Microsoft supports Windows 11 21H2

Microsoft is officially killing the original, first version of Windows 11, the 21H2, today. At the time of publishing (October 8, 2024), this end-of-support cycle affects the editions released in October 2021, including Windows 11 Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, Education, and IoT Enterprise.

The end-of-support cycle builds up to Microsoft’s announcement last year when Windows 11 21H2’s editions like Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations reached their end of service on October 10, 2023.

If you’ve been affected by this, chances are you must upgrade to the latest version—23H2 or the latest, AI-friendly 24H2—to maintain Microsoft’s support. You can get them via Settings > Windows Update or manually download an ISO file of any of these versions.

But, if you’re worried whether your devices will hold up to 24H2, users of an ancient laptop with a 10-year-old processor also reported that the version runs well on their end despite Microsoft’s requirement for the CPU to support SSE4.2.

Windows 11 21H2, also codenamed as “Sun Valley,” brought a redesigned Fluent Design System that includes a new Start menu, a center-aligned Taskbar that moves away from Windows 10’s look, and an updated File Explorer with a new bar command.

This version also introduced the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) feature so that mobile Android apps can run on Windows 11.

The Redmond tech giant has previously urged users to buy new PCs to upgrade to Windows 11, saying that older hardware may not meet the OS’ requirements like TPM 2.0 support.