Microsoft officially released Windows 11 version 24H2 (or Windows 11 2024 Update) in October last year with new features in File Explorer, an updated Start menu with Phone Link, and Power Settings interface, video call enhancements, and plenty of AI-related changes. While the update was meant to be rolled out to everyone gradually, it has been a turbulent rollout, with Microsoft rolling out the update to select eligible devices, then blocking it shortly afterward due to some bugs.

It has been more than six months since Windows 11 24H2 was officially released, but Microsoft still hasn't been able to fix everything. However, the good news is that these issues no longer seem to be severe enough to deter Microsoft from making the 24H2 update available for all.

Windows 11 24H2 is now available for all, but there is a catch

Microsoft has stated in its Learn document that Windows 11 24H2 is now broadly available via Windows Update on Settings for all eligible PCs that are not managed by IT departments. It's a lot more convenient to update your PC this way, as opposed to something like clean installing 24H2 by downloading the ISO via the Media Creation Tool. So, if you have an eligible Windows 10 or 11 device, go to Settings > Windows Update and then click Check for updates to download and install it on your PC.

While the update should show up if you follow the above steps, don't be surprised if it doesn't. As highlighted by Microsoft, eligible PCs that are put under "compatibility hold" will temporarily not be able to update to 24H2 through Windows Update. While Microsoft has solved many of these issues since the release of 24H2 and resumed the rollout, the company has failed to fix all of them. For example, the Redmond tech firm applied a "safeguard hold" to prevent devices with apps using sprotect.sys driver from updating to 24H2, and this is still not fixed.

However, a compatibility hold doesn't fully prevent you from updating to 24H2 because you can manually update using tools like Windows Installation Assistant or the Media Creation Tool. This doesn't mean you should choose that path, as Microsoft warned users that forcing an update that wasn't meant to be installed can bring serious stability issues, which is why the compatibility hold is put in place.

Should you upgrade your PC to Windows 11 24H2?

It's not a question of if, but a question of when. That's because every version of Windows 11 has an end-of-life support, after which your PC will stop getting monthly security updates. If you're running Windows 11 23H2, you'll receive monthly updates till November this year. So, you can wait a few more months if you're skeptical about the overall stability of 24H2, but don't delay it beyond November.