After a long wait, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 is finally here

If you have been waiting for Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC, it’s finally here. Microsoft is currently offering a free 90-day evaluation of the OS!

Touted as the next evolution in Microsoft’s innovative IoT platform, the edition brings a wide array of improvements, including expanded hardware support and OS-related customizations.

In its official blog post, Microsoft tells us,

We are bringing more flexibility to device makers with updated IoT hardware requirements, enabling more device types that allow us to light up a broader market. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 expands the number of removable packages to 36, further empowering device makers to customize the OS to create the perfect platform for even resource constrained devices.

There are also a host of enhancements to accessibility and user experience. Quoting from Microsoft’s blog,

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 brings new components like the taskbar overflow menu and File Explorer tabs to streamline tasks and maximize productivity. It also improves accessibility by introducing system-wide live captions and voice access. In addition, braille displays now work seamlessly across multiple screen readers, and Narrator supports new braille input and output languages to simplify the end user experience.

Besides, Microsoft’s Arm-focused approach is visible in the latest edition. It allows you to run x64 applications on Arm processors without any modifications, saving both effort and time.

As for the security and privacy aspects, the edition comes with built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus, Windows Security, smart app control, phishing protection, malicious and vulnerable driver blocking, and a passwordless Windows experience.

Lastly, Microsoft Edge is the default browser in Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Although, reports suggest that you can uninstall Edge on the latest LTSC edition!

For the complete list of new features and changes, visit Microsoft’s website.

You can download the Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC’s ISO from the official download page. Both x64 and ARM64 editions are available.

Tip

The LTSC (Long-term Servicing Channel) edition of Windows isn’t for regular users but for organizations where devices are to be used for specific tasks, and minimal changes are required over time. The LTSC edition doesn’t receive as many updates or new features as its Home or Pro counterpart.

For those planning to try out the Windows 11 LTSC edition, make sure you perform a clean install and format any data on the hard disk. Also, upon non-activation of the evaluation copy after the 90-day period, the desktop background will turn black, there will be frequent pop-ups, and the PC will automatically shut down every hour, according to Microsoft.

In case you didn’t know, the Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition was leaked a few months ago!

If you face any issues with the installation, let us know in the comments section.