Next Wednesday, 14 October, several Microsoft products lose support on the same day. Microsoft’s 2026 end of support page lists them under 13 October, which is US Pacific time. Here in Brisbane, that’s Wednesday.
If your office runs Microsoft 365 on up-to-date Windows 11 PCs, most of this passes you by. The point of this checklist is finding the one or two machines that don’t fit that picture, before the date rather than after it.
What ends on 14 October
- Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021. These are the one-off purchase versions of Office from 2021, not the Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft’s Office 2021 lifecycle page shows support ending this month.
- Windows 11 Home and Pro, version 24H2. Windows 11 itself carries on, but this particular version stops being serviced, per the Windows 11 Home and Pro lifecycle page. PCs on it need to move to a newer version.
- Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, paid updates Year 3. The Server 2012 R2 lifecycle page shows the third and final year of Extended Security Updates ending.
- Windows 10 paid updates, Year 1. If your business paid for a year of Windows 10 security updates, Microsoft’s lifecycle FAQ shows that year ending the same day. Year 2 has to be bought to keep receiving them.
Windows Server 2022 is also on Microsoft’s list for that date, moving from mainstream to extended support. That one is routine. Security updates continue.
For the products that end, Microsoft says that after end of support “there will be no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.” The software doesn’t stop opening. It stops being fixed.
Check 1: which Office is on each PC?
Open Word, then go to File, Account. In Outlook, it’s File, Office Account. Look under Product Information.
- Microsoft 365 (for example Microsoft 365 Apps for business): a subscription that keeps updating. Nothing to do.
- Office Home & Business 2021, Office Home & Student 2021 or Office Professional 2021: a one-off licence that loses support on 14 October.
- Office LTSC Standard 2021: the volume licence version. Same date.
- Office 2019 or Office 2016: already out of support since October 2025.
Check 2: which Windows version is each PC on?
Go to Settings, System, About. Under Windows specifications, read Edition and Version.
- Windows 11 Home or Pro, Version 24H2: needs the next feature update. Version 25H2 is supported until 12 October 2027 (US time), according to Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information.
- Windows 11 Home or Pro, Version 25H2: fine.
- Windows 11 Enterprise or Education, Version 24H2: these editions get longer support, to 12 October 2027 (US time) per the Enterprise and Education lifecycle page. Not affected next week.
- Windows 10: out of support since October 2025, unless it’s enrolled in paid updates, in which case Year 1 ends on Wednesday.
A Windows 11 PC still on 24H2 this late has usually been putting its updates off. Often it’s a machine that’s rarely turned on, or one where someone keeps clicking “remind me later”.
Check 3: one question about the server
You don’t need to go into the comms cupboard. Ask whoever looks after the server: “What version of Windows Server does it run?”
If the answer is 2012 or 2012 R2, ask a second question: “Are we paying for Extended Security Updates, and what’s the plan now that the last year is ending?” Microsoft’s FAQ says those updates are available for up to three years after end of support, and for Server 2012 this is the end of the third year.
If the answer is 2016, it’s next in line. Its extended support ends on 12 January 2027, US time, according to the Windows Server 2016 lifecycle page.
What our tickets show
Over the 12 months to 18 August 2026, we logged 11 Windows 11 upgrade tickets from 9 clients. Nine of them came between late September and early November 2025, around the Windows 10 deadline. Deadlines get attention in the last few weeks, and the machines left behind are usually the spare ones: a reception PC, a workshop computer, a laptop in a drawer.
Our tickets don’t record software versions, so they can’t tell you how many PCs out there are on Office 2021 or version 24H2. Your own check will.
Write the list
Make a simple table with five columns: where the machine is, who uses it, Office version, Windows edition and Windows version. Anything showing Office 2021, Windows 11 Home or Pro 24H2, Windows 10 or Server 2012 goes on the list.
Send that list to IT before Wednesday. Some lines will be quick, like a PC that just needs its feature update. Some will need a decision, like a server. The list is what gets those decisions made. do with each line in a follow-up after the date.
If you’d like help reading what you find, get in touch.