Microsoft reveals details about unique Windows 11 version support

Microsoft recently announced a unique Windows 11 release, and it now has details about its lifecycle and the end of support.

Windows 11 has already received several feature updates, and all of them have one common thing – they are H2-releases. These days, Microsoft ships "big" updates for Windows 11 in the second half of each year, hence the name. However, the latest version is a rather unique one. Windows 11 version 26H1 is the first update to break away from the traditional H2 release cycle. After sharing initial details about version 26H1, Microsoft revealed information about its lifecycle.

Like every other Windows 11 release, version 26H1 will be supported for two years. Support started last month, on February 10, 2026 (when Microsoft released the February 2026 Patch Tuesday updates). Count two years from that, and you get to March 14, 2028. That is the day when Windows 11 version 26H1 will run out of support.

Although Windows 11 version 26H1 is different from everything that Microsoft has released so far, it has the same lifecycle logic as the other versions. Home and Pro editions get 24 months of support, while Enterprise and Education get 36 months of support.

For those unfamiliar with Windows 11 version 26H1, it is a special platform update designed for upcoming PCs with Snapdragon X2 processors. Microsoft has not confirmed it, but the rumor says that the operating system will also power NVIDIA's first ARM processors for Windows PC. Existing hardware, including Snapdragon X1 PCs, won't get version 26H1. Instead, Microsoft will update them to version 26H2 later this year. At the same time, PCs with version 26H1 won't get version 26H2, as Microsoft plans to unify the two operating systems in 2027.

Microsoft currently supports three Windows 11 versions: 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1. Version 24H2 will be out of support on October 13, 2026. You can find more details about Windows 11's support lifecycle in the official documentation.

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Posted Friday 20 March 2026 at 5:01 am AEST (my time).

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