Windows Mixed Reality headsets no longer work with Windows 11 version 24H2 and newer

In December 2023, Microsoft announced the end of its Windows Mixed Reality VR platform. A little later, the company shared more details about the future of Windows Mixed Reality, promising to remove the platform from future versions of Windows 11. Version 24H2, which is now official, will be the first release to ditch Windows Mixed Reality as confirmed in build 26052.

If you have a Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headset and you want it to continue working, you better stay away from Windows 11 version 24H2. Microsoft says connecting a WMR headset to build 26052 or new will not work, and Windows Mixed Reality is no longer available for download.

That means Windows Mixed Reality users have only one option: stay on Windows 11 version 23H2 or Windows 10. So far, there is no information about the fate of the platform on Windows 10, which still has a little less than two years of support ahead of it (and three more via the Extended Security Update program).

Windows Mixed Reality will remain accessible on Windows 11 version 23H2 and older until November 2026 for regular consumers and November 2027 for commercial users. After that, Microsoft will pull the plug and make the necessary components unavailable for download, rendering even technically supported versions unable to make Windows Mixed Reality headsets work.

With that said, users can continue using their headsets even after November 2026 as long as they keep their Windows Mixed Reality installation intact and do not update to newer Windows releases. It is also possible that tinkerers will find unofficial ways to make Windows Mixed Reality headsets work to prevent them from going to landfills.

It is also worth noting that the end of Windows Mixed Reality does not affect HoloLens, its features, or its developments. Microsoft remains committed to its holographic computer and commercial customers using it.