With an announcement just posted on its website, Microsoft has confirmed that installations of its latest operating system will all be updated to Windows 11 23H2that is, at the last one feature update currently available, released on October 31, 2023.
L’automatic update Windows 11 23H2 will affect all versions that have now reached or are approaching their end of support date. This can be verified in the table published on this page. In the case of the Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro Workstation editions, Windows 11 21H2 is already in the End-of-Life (EoL); Windows 11 22H2, for the same editions, will reach “end of life” status at the beginning of October 2024. The withdrawal times of the two previous versions of Windows 11 are extended for the Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise and Enterprise multi-session editions.
Forced update to Windows 11 23H2
In the supporting document “Windows 11, version 23H2 known issues and notifications“, Microsoft explains the following: “We are starting to automatically update eligible Windows 11 devices to version 23H2. This automatic update is intended for Windows 11 devices that have reached or are nearing the end of maintenance“.
After the indicated dates (8 October 2024 in the case of Windows 11 22H2), the operating system will no longer receive updates, not even those related to safety. Microsoft therefore urges users to update in time to Windows 11 23H2. Otherwise, Windows Update will proceed using an automated approach.
The Redmond company specifies that it is the algorithm machine learning which Windows Update increasingly relies on to decide the best time to proceed with the installation of Windows 23H2, in the cases indicated.
We know, at this point for sure, that during 2024 Microsoft will release a single update: Windows 11 24H2. It won’t be a Windows 12 but a full-bodied one feature update intended to strengthen support for AI-based solutions.
What can those who don’t like the automatic installation of Windows 11 23H2 do
As already seen in the case of Windows 10, it is possible to use the same solution that allows you to block aggressive messages inviting you to upgrade to Windows 11.
Intervening on registry configuration of Windows, it is possible to set the so-called “target version” that is, indicate which version of the operating system you prefer to stay with, without undergoing any forced update.
After opening the command prompt of Windows 11 (type cmd in the search box then choose Run as administrator) the following instructions can be given:
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v ProductVersion /d "Windows 11" /f
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersionInfo /d "22H2" /f
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v DisableOSUpgrade /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore /v DisableOSUpgrade /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\UpgradeNotification /v UpgradeAvailable /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fOnce the changes have been applied, it is necessary to restart the operating system.
Obviously it is necessary to remember to install Windows 11 23H2 immediately after 8 October 2024 in the case of the Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstation editions; after October 14, 2025 in the case of the Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions.
How to cancel the change and allow automatic application of feature update
If, at a later time, you prefer to remove the applied change and open the automatic installation of any updates (for example, in the future, Windows 11 24H2), you can open the command prompt with administrator rights and then type follows:
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersion /f
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v ProductVersion /f
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersionInfo /f
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v DisableOSUpgrade /f
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore /v DisableOSUpgrade /f
reg delete HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\UpgradeNotification /v UpgradeAvailable /f