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Older Windows 11 Auto-Upgrading to 23H2

By Laura Tucker
Windows 11 Auto Update 23h2 Featured Update

If you’re one of those Windows users who don’t like to upgrade and would rather hold on to your current OS version as long as you can, you may not have a choice much longer. With more than 70% of users still using Windows 10 or earlier, Microsoft will be releasing the “Moment 5” update, and they have announced that any devices still using older versions of Windows 11 will be auto-upgraded to 23H2.

Windows 11 Adoption

Again, a key statistic here seems to be the adoption rate of Windows 11. Released in October 2021, It’s had more than two years to catch on and many, many updates. And Windows 10 will reach the end of support in October 2025. Still, people are limping toward Windows 11, with one of the major factors being whether a user’s machine will support Windows 11.

Windows 11 Auto Update 23h2 Upgrade
Image source: Unsplash

As of January 2024, there are still 66.43% using Windows 10, and less than half of that, at 27.82%, using Windows 11. Even Windows 7 is still used by 3.06% of users. That seems to be the version people want to hang on to, as only 0.26% are using Windows 8.

Tip: learn how to create a Windows 11 USB installer using Command Prompt.

Auto-Update to Windows 11 23H2

Yet, Microsoft will be auto-upgrading those Windows 11 users to version 23H2, if they haven’t made that smaller jump yet. I’m sure the company would love it if everyone jumped up to Windows 11 from prior versions, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Windows 11 Auto Update 23h2 Older Version
Image source: Unsplash

Microsoft announced in a blog post this week that Windows 11, 23H2 (aka Windows 11 2023 Update) is coming up on a new rollout, and they will automatically update all eligible devices running Windows 11 to that version.

The blog post explains that the update “targets Windows 11 devices that have reached or are approaching end of servicing, and it follows the machine learning-based (ML) training we have utilized so far. We will continue to train our intelligent ML model to safely roll out this new Windows version in phases to deliver a smooth update experience.”

Upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 on Your Own

If you’re not the type for surprise attacks, you don’t have to wait for your Windows 11 to be auto-upgraded to 23H2 by Microsoft. You can do it on your own. Open Settings → Windows Update, and turn on Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available, then select Check for updates. Choose Download and install.

Of course, upgrades all come with their own issues, though they are eventually fixed in a follow-up update. If you want to know what issues you’ll be facing, check out our guide on the latest Windows update problems and how to fix them. We can also help if you want to stop the automatic restart for updates.

Image credit: Canva

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Laura Tucker Avatar
Laura Tucker
Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.

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