Upgrade your PC before May 17, 2027 or lose Windows updates

Outdated Windows devices lose updates because they cannot verify Windows Update after the old certificates expire. A certificate here is a kind of digital ID card. Your PC checks it to confirm it is talking to Microsoft’s real update servers, not an impostor.

Like a passport, each certificate has an expiry date. Microsoft calls replacing them a certificate rotation, and it is a routine security practice. The company said in early October that one set expires on May 17, 2027, and another on June 19, 2027. Devices on unsupported Windows versions will lose access to Windows Update services and receive no updates at all, Microsoft warned.

The replacement certificates have already been sent out to supported systems through normal monthly updates. Microsoft’s Andrew Brown summed up the approach: the key to getting updates beyond 2027, he said, is keeping your devices current today.

Microsoft published a version-by-version list. Here is what it says, starting with the most urgent:

• By May 17, 2027: Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC need the July 2026 security update or later installed.
• By June 19, 2027: Windows 11 version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 need the September 2025 security update or later.
• By June 19, 2027: other supported versions of Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 need the July 2026 security update or later.
• No action: Windows 11 version 25H2 and newer.
• Everything else: unsupported versions need to be upgraded to a supported Windows client or server release.

The headline deadline, May 17, mainly hits older business machines and servers. Most home PCs fall under the June 19 date, and many will already have the update they need.

For most people, nothing changes as long as Windows Update keeps doing its job. If your laptop runs Windows 11 and installs updates each month, the new certificates should already be on it.

The PCs to worry about are the ones that have been left alone: an old desktop in a spare room, a laptop where updates were paused, or a family member’s computer that has not been switched on in a year. Those could miss the replacement certificates and then fail to update after the deadline.

A computer on a Windows version Microsoft no longer supports is in a worse spot. It will lose access to Windows Update completely. Microsoft’s advice is to upgrade it, which may mean moving to Windows 11 if the hardware allows, or replacing the machine.

You can see where you stand without any technical knowledge:

1. Open Settings and go to System, then About. Under Windows specifications, note the edition and the version (such as 24H2 or 25H2).
2. Go to Windows Update in Settings and click Check for updates. Install anything waiting, then restart.
3. Make sure updates are not paused. If they are, resume them.
4. If the version is not one Microsoft still supports, plan an upgrade well before May 2027.

Repeat this for every PC in your home. Older machines you rarely use are the ones most likely to need attention.

Microsoft’s guidance for administrators is to find every device running an older or unsupported version of Windows now, keep monthly updates flowing to all supported machines, and draw up an upgrade plan for anything that cannot be patched before the deadlines.

There are two useful caveats. First, devices that get their updates through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), the tool many companies use to distribute patches across their own networks, are not affected by this change. Second, missing the deadline is not permanent for supported systems. A supported PC that falls behind can regain access by installing the required update, which administrators can download from the Microsoft Update Catalog or push out with their management tools.

The change lands as Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 version 26H2, the Windows 11 2026 Update. It is arriving on eligible 24H2 and 25H2 PCs as a small enablement package, a switch that turns on features already downloaded, rather than a full reinstall, and the rollout will widen over the coming months.