Prepare for Windows Update certificate rotation in 2027
The certificates used to establish trusted connections to Windows Update will expire on May 17, 2027 and June 19, 2027. Devices must contain the replacement certificates to continue receiving updates after the applicable expiration date.
In short, if your PC does not receive updated Windows Update certificates, you will lose access to Windows updates.
Microsoft is rolling out the new certificates through an update and the good news is that all actively supported versions of Windows 11 will receive these updates. That means if you’re running Windows 11 26H2 or 25H2 and are aware of Windows updates, you have nothing to worry about: Microsoft has already distributed the updated Windows Update certificates as part of the security updates released in July 2026.
What happens if your Windows PC does not receive updated certificates?
According to Microsoft:
Devices without replacement certificates will lose access to Windows Update after the applicable expiration date. This change does not apply to devices that receive updates from Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
However, if you are still on an older, unsupported version of Windows 11, you may run into problems. Your Windows PC will no longer be able to download updates from Microsoft servers without the proper certificates.
To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, here are the relevant updates you should install depending on your version of Windows:
Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025: Install the September 2025 security update or later before June 19, 2027.
Other supported versions of Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and supported versions of Windows 10: Install the July 2026 security update or later before June 19, 2027.
Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016: Install the July 2026 security update or later before May 17, 2027.
Other Windows versions: Upgrade to a supported version of the Windows client or Windows Server.
Additional reading: Are you still on Windows 11 24H2? You have one week to update
