Your PC says Windows 11 and you assume that is the whole answer, but four different Windows 11s are in Microsoft's table right now and one of them runs out in October.
Good news: finding out which one you are on takes about five seconds, and if you are on the wrong one Windows will move you itself.
I read the version this machine is on, and the build it is on, before writing. One of the two numbers I checked turned out to be a lie.
Two ways to read your own version
Five seconds, and you need the version rather than the number 11.
⭐ Press Windows key and R, type winver, press Enter. A small box gives you the version and the build.
⚡ Or Settings, System, About. The same thing appears there, under Windows specifications.
⚠️ The line you want says something like 24H2 or 25H2. That is the version. Windows 11 on its own tells you nothing.
⛔ Write the build number down too. It is the second half of the answer and it decides which updates you have.
The dates, from Microsoft's own table
Documented, and they are not vague.
⭐ Microsoft states the end of updates for Home and Pro in its Windows 11 release information table: 24H2 ends on 2026-10-13.
⚡ 25H2 runs to 2027-10-12, and 26H1 to 2028-03-14, on the same Home and Pro line.
⚠️ 23H2 is already listed as "End of updates" for Home and Pro. If you are on that, you are past the line rather than approaching it.
⛔ End of updates means no more security fixes. The machine keeps working and stops being defended, which is a different thing from breaking.
What this machine reports
The ordinary case for a laptop bought in the last two years, read rather than assumed.
⭐ This one is on 25H2, build 26200.9168. Windows was installed in May 2025 and has moved a version since.
⚡ The latest 25H2 build in Microsoft's table is 26200.9278, dated 27 August 2026.
⚠️ So this machine is one cumulative update behind on the day I checked. Not a fault, and worth knowing before you assume yours is current.
⛔ Being on the right version and behind on builds are two separate problems. The second one has its own fixes.
The number that lies to you
Ours, and it catches out scripts as well as people.
⚡ The registry still holds a value called ReleaseId. On this machine it says 2009.
⭐ 2009 means version 20H2. That shipped in 2020. The machine is on 25H2.
⚠️ ReleaseId stopped being updated years ago and was never removed. Anything reading it gets an answer that has been wrong for five years.
⛔ The value that is right is DisplayVersion, in the same registry key. That one says 25H2 here.
26H1 exists, and it is probably not for you
The newest version is the one you cannot have, which is not how this usually works.
⭐ Microsoft says 26H1 is "scoped to support new devices that come to market in early 2026 and is not designed as a feature update for existing devices".
⚡ It goes further: it "is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2 on existing devices".
⚠️ So seeing 26H1 in a table and not being offered it is correct behavior. Your machine is not being left out.
⛔ The version to be on is 25H2 unless your PC arrived with 26H1 on it already.
What happens if you do nothing
Less than people fear, and it has a catch.
⭐ Microsoft says unmanaged Home and Pro devices on 24H2 receive 25H2 automatically. You do not have to go looking for it.
⚡ You can choose when to restart, or postpone it. That is where the catch lives.
⚠️ Postponing repeatedly is how people arrive at October still on 24H2. The offer is automatic. Accepting it is not.
⛔ And if the upgrade will not run at all, that is a separate job. Sorted by what your PC actually says.
What to do before October
Four things, and none of them takes an evening.
⚡ Run winver today and write down what it says. Everything else depends on that one line.
⭐ If it says 24H2, open Windows Update and let 25H2 install. Do it on an evening you can spare a restart.
⚠️ Back up before a feature update, not after. Set somewhere for your files to live first.
⛔ If it says 23H2 or older, treat that as urgent rather than something to look at next month.
Status: version, build, install date and the ReleaseId value read on this machine on 28 August 2026, alongside Microsoft's own Windows 11 release information table and its 26H1 note, both read the same day. ⛔ Nothing was changed, no update was installed or postponed, and no product key, account name or device identifier is published.
How do I check which version of Windows 11 I have?
Press Windows key and R, type winver and press Enter. The box shows the version, such as 24H2 or 25H2, and the build number. Settings, System, About gives you the same thing under Windows specifications. The words Windows 11 on their own are not the answer.
When does Windows 11 24H2 stop getting updates?
Microsoft's release information table gives 2026-10-13 as the end of updates for Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations. After that the machine keeps working but stops receiving security fixes, which is the part that matters.
Why am I not being offered Windows 11 26H1?
Because Microsoft says it is scoped for new devices coming to market in early 2026 and is not designed as a feature update for existing ones. Its own wording is that 26H1 is not offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2 on existing devices. Nothing is wrong with your PC.
Why does the registry say my version is 2009?
Because ReleaseId stopped being maintained after version 20H2 and was left behind rather than removed. On this machine it still says 2009 while the actual version is 25H2. The value that is kept current is DisplayVersion, in the same key.
The Short Version
- Windows 11 is not one thing. Three versions still get updates, and a fourth stopped.
- winver tells you which one you are on, in five seconds.
- Microsoft gives 2026-10-13 as the end of updates for 24H2 Home and Pro.
- 25H2 runs to October 2027. 23H2 is already past its end date.
- This machine is on 25H2, build 26200.9168, one cumulative update behind.
- The registry value ReleaseId says 2009 and has been wrong for five years.
- 26H1 is for new devices and is not offered as an upgrade to yours.
- 25H2 arrives on its own, but postponing it forever is how people miss October.
Where to Next
Run winver right now and read the version line. Everything on this page depends on that one word.
If it says 25H2 or 26H1, you have nothing to do until 2027 and you can close this.
If it says 24H2, open Windows Update this week and let the upgrade install rather than postponing it again.
If it says 23H2 or anything older, treat it as the urgent one, because that version is already past its date.
And if Windows Update keeps offering you the upgrade and failing to install it, say which error number in the comments. That pattern is worth collecting before October.
Isaac Smith is the founder and editor of PC Glance, a website that covers computers, laptops, and technology. He is a tech enthusiast and a computer geek who loves to share his insights and help his readers make smart choices when buying tech gadgets or laptops. He is always curious and updated about the latest tech trends.