Windows 11 23H2 will force upgrade PCs on versions 22H2

• Microsoft makes Windows 11 23H2 an automatic install for devices on version 22H2.
• The automatic upgrade will start on October 8, 2024, as version 22H2 reaches the end of support.

Microsoft is set to forcibly upgrade computers to Windows 11 23H2 running versions 22H2 and 21H2. Although the “2023 Update” was originally released on October 31, 2023, the update was an optional install for compatible devices. However, starting October 8, 2024, the company started the other rollout phase, making version 23H2 automatically available through Windows Update.

The dashboard health website’s status note reveals that on October 8, Windows 11 21H2 for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions, as well as Windows 11 22H2 for Home and Pro editions, will receive the last security update as these versions will reach the end of service. As a result, the company plans to automatically start the upgrade to version 23H2 for computers using the Home and Pro editions of the operating system that are not managed by network administrators.

However, the company won’t automatically update managed devices running the Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions. If they don’t get updated, they will stop receiving updates after October 8. For reference, version 21H2 reached the end of service on October 10, 2023, and version 22H2 will reach its end of support on October 8, 2024.

If you still have a computer on version 22H2, you can upgrade to version 23H2 without giving it a second thought since both versions of the operating system are virtually the same. For this particular release, Microsoft pushed a cumulative update for version 22H2 that included all the features and changes expected for version 23H2 because the company wanted to install Copilot on as many devices as possible automatically without the user’s permission. 

If you are ready to upgrade to version 23H2, you can do this from Settings > Windows Update, turn on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle switch, click the “Check for updates” button, and click the “Download & install” button.

The update is small and will not trigger a complete reinstallation of the operating system. Like a regular monthly update, the process should take no longer than a few minutes. As a result, it’s not recommended to use the Installation Assistant or any other tool since reinstallation isn’t necessary.

You don’t need to do anything if you want the update to install and apply automatically. In October, the computer will upgrade automatically. 

It’s important to note that automatically installing the new version doesn’t mean your device will upgrade immediately. Instead, the company plans to roll out the update gradually, ensuring that only devices with a good upgrade experience will receive the update first.

Alongside the automatic rollout of version 22H2, Microsoft plans to launch version 24H2, the next operating system refresh, sometime in (September or) October 2024 with a slew of improvements for existing features. The feature update will also ship with new AI integrations and some additional features.