Microsoft rolls back decision to stop Windows 11 22H2 preview updates

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Microsoft says that systems running Windows 11 22H2 will continue to receive non-security preview updates after initially stating they would no longer receive them after February 2024.

Every fourth week of the month, Windows preview updates allow admins and users to test the fixes and productivity improvements that will become generally available to all customers with the next month's security update.

Under the new schedule revealed this week, Windows 11 22H2 optional updates will keep rolling out until mid-June 2025, depending on your Windows edition.

Redmond says that the date has been changed based on user feedback, and it will allow more customers to take advantage of the continuous innovation approach to Windows updates, where new features and enhancements are released more frequently.

"The new end date is June 24, 2025 for Windows 11, version 22H2 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise multi-session editions," Microsoft said.

"Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions of version 22H2 will receive non-security preview updates until June 26, 2024. This extension will allow IT administrators to test improvements and fixes ahead of the upcoming security update on more devices."

Windows 11 22H2 end of servicing in October 2025

According to Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy, Windows 11 22H2 Home and Pro editions will be retired on October 8, 2024, while Windows 11 22H2 Enterprise and Education will reach the end of servicing on October 14, 2025.

Last week, Redmond also announced that it now force installs Windows 11 23H2, the latest Windows version, on eligible systems that have already reached or are close to their end-of-servicing date.

This forced rollout phase comes after systems running multiple editions of Windows 11 21H2 were automatically updated to Windows 11 22H2 before reaching the end of support on October 11, 2023.

Windows 11, version 23H2 (also known as the Windows 11 2023 Update) was released on October 31, one month after it rolled out to devices enrolled in the Release Preview Insider Channel for enterprise testing.

Microsoft also lifted a compatibility hold that blocked Windows 11 23H2 upgrades after fixing a known issue causing desktop icons to glitch across desktops while using Windows Copilot on multi-monitor systems.