I've been upgrading computers from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in a network that isn't connected to the internet, using WSUS. While the upgrades have gone smoothly, I've noticed that the systems are stuck on version 21H2 instead of moving up to the latest version 25H2. I've approved both the 'Upgrade to Windows 11 (business editions) en-us x64' and the 'Windows 11, version 25H2 x64 2025-12' updates for my group, but when I check for updates on the client machines, nothing shows up. WSUS indicates that the upgrade to Windows 11 is installed, but the 25H2 update is marked as 'Not Applicable.' I'm puzzled as to why I'm unable to upgrade these machines to 25H2 and also why I can't go directly from Windows 10 22H2 to Windows 11 25H2, which is the upgrade path I'd prefer.
5 Answers
You might want to run `Get-WindowsUpdateLog` in PowerShell. It can give you insights into any underlying issues with the updates.
Are you using an LTSC license by any chance? That could limit your upgrade options.
No, I'm not on LTSC. Windows 10 was upgrading just fine, and these are straight in-place upgrades to Windows 11 Enterprise.
Double-check if there's a Group Policy Object (GPO) set that might be restricting the updates. You can navigate to `GPEdit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business` to look for anything unusual.
Just make sure your hardware meets the requirements for 25H2. Things like TPM 2.0, Intel i series 8 or newer, and at least 4GB of RAM are essential for compatibility. How old are your computers?
Most of the machines are from 2021 or newer, so they should meet the criteria. If they're already running Windows 11, I figured they'd be good for feature updates.
Check if you have an Intune policy that might be enforcing a specific version. It can be tricky to have both WSUS and Intune settings conflicting.
Nope, these computers are on a standalone domain, so there's no Intune involved.
Good idea! I’ll check that out, although the Update GUI isn't showing any errors.