Microsoft Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024

Microsoft Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 (DG7GMGF0PP49:0001) - Local Support

What this is, and the sentence Microsoft wants you to read first

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 is the long-term servicing release of Windows for fixed-function devices. Microsoft's own words: it is designed for specialty devices and use cases where functionality and features remain constant for the life of the device, such as devices requiring regulatory certification or performing a critical business function on the same operating system version over several years, in industries including banking, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and retail. Microsoft then states the constraint directly: Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC is intended for use for fixed-function specialised devices only and cannot be used as a replacement of Windows desktop for general purpose computing. If you are looking for an operating system for staff PCs, this is not it.

The ten-year lifecycle, and why it is not five

This release follows Microsoft's Fixed Lifecycle Policy. Microsoft published it on 1 October 2024, with mainstream support ending 10 October 2029 and extended support ending 11 October 2034 — ten years in total. That is the reason to choose the IoT variant. The non-IoT Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 has a five-year lifecycle: Microsoft lists mainstream support ending on the same date, 10 October 2029, and publishes no extended support date at all. Microsoft states the difference plainly: Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 has a 5 year lifecycle, and IoT Enterprise LTSC continues to have a 10 year lifecycle.

No feature updates, ever, by design

Microsoft does not publish feature updates through Windows Update for devices running Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC. The device receives security and quality servicing only, and the feature set is frozen for the ten years. Microsoft releases a new IoT Enterprise LTSC approximately every three years, each containing the capabilities added to Windows since the previous LTSC release, and moving from one LTSC version to the next requires a new licence entitlement. The features in this release are similar to Windows 11, version 24H2.

What Microsoft actually says is removed — and what it does not say

Microsoft confirms three removals for this release: WordPad, which was removed from all editions of Windows starting with Windows 11 version 24H2; Internet Explorer, which is no longer available in Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024; and AllJoyn, which is retired. Microsoft also states that the Microsoft Edge browser is the default browser in this release, so Edge is present. Beyond that, Microsoft publishes no definitive per-application inclusion list for LTSC, only a general statement that features which could be updated with new functionality, including in-box Windows apps, are not included, and a warning that support for LTSC by apps and tools designed for the general availability channel might be limited. Those statements sit in tension with one another. No official Microsoft source publishes a list of the applications absent from this edition, so none is given here.

Licensing — and one thing to confirm with us before you order

Microsoft licenses Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC per device, by two routes: an OEM licence obtained through an authorised Windows IoT distributor for device makers pre-installing it, transferable with the device; and a Volume Licence used to upgrade existing systems, which is not transferable and activates by KMS or MAK. Microsoft describes the volume-licensed form as an upgrade licence for fixed-function, specialised devices, with media and keys supplied through the Volume Licensing Service Center or the Microsoft 365 admin center. One honest gap: the part number on this listing is a CSP-style catalogue identifier, and no official Microsoft IoT licensing page names CSP as a purchase channel. Confirm the channel with us in writing before ordering.