Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 stops getting updates on 12 January 2027

Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 stops getting updates on 12 January 2027

14 October 2026: Microsoft has sent tenants a 90-day reminder, Message Center item MC1507706, that Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 reaches end of updates on 12 January 2027. The January 2027 Windows security update is the last one for this version. After that date, devices running it stop receiving the monthly security updates that carry protections against newly found threats. Microsoft tags the message as having admin impact.

Not yet independently verified. The Message Center text was read through the mc.merill.net mirror, not in a signed-in admin centre. The lifecycle page carries no date; it lists the end as 1/13/2027 06:59 UTC, which is 12 January in Redmond. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What Microsoft tells administrators to do

Microsoft recommends moving affected devices to Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024, which it describes as the current Long-Term Servicing Channel release. For organisations whose move will not be finished by the deadline, Extended Security Updates are available for eligible devices. The message links to Microsoft's lifecycle page, a guide titled "Plan for end of support", the what's-new page for LTSC 2024 and the Extended Security Updates FAQ.

The message does not list prices for the extended updates, and this article does not either. Anyone planning on that route should read the FAQ Microsoft links before committing.

Why the date comes from the fixed policy

Microsoft's lifecycle page says Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 follows the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, with a start date of 16 November 2021. The end date is shown in Pacific Time as 13 January 2027 at 06:59 UTC, which falls on 12 January in Redmond. That is why the reminder says 12 January.

The lifecycle page lists the end as a mainstream end date and shows no separate extended phase. The only continuation route the reminder mentions is the Extended Security Updates programme.

Other LTSC editions run on different dates

The date is for the Enterprise edition only. Microsoft's lifecycle page for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 shows the same mainstream end but an extended end date of 13 January 2032 in Redmond, so fixed-function devices licensed under the IoT edition keep getting security updates for five more years. The target Microsoft recommends, Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024, has a mainstream end date of 9 October 2029 in Redmond on its own lifecycle page.

The working window

Three months is the working window. A device inventory that separates LTSC 2021 machines from other Windows 10 builds is the first step, because the reminder applies to this one version only, and IoT Enterprise devices sit on the later 2032 date.

Update, 22 October 2026: Microsoft's own lifecycle page for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 gives the end date as 1/13/2027 6:59:59 AM, consistent with the January 2027 date above.

Sources

• Microsoft 365 Message Center (via mc.merill.net): MC1507706, 90-Day Reminder: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 will reach end of updates, 14 October 2026
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 lifecycle, 15 October 2026
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 lifecycle (read 2026-10-15), 15 October 2026
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 lifecycle (read 2026-10-15), 15 October 2026
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 lifecycle - read 22 October 2026