Virtual desktops
Why Light runs Windows 11 LTSC
The same Windows 11 kernel, the same programs, the same administrator rights - with the consumer extras left out and no feature upgrades. On a 3 GB desktop, that is the difference between quick and cramped.
What LTSC is
Windows 11 comes in two servicing channels. The general channel is what a new laptop ships with: a feature upgrade every year that rebuilds much of the operating system, plus the Store, Copilot, widgets, the news feed, Teams chat, games and a shelf of bundled apps that install themselves whether or not you asked. The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) is Microsoft's edition for machines that have a job to do and should keep doing it: the same Windows 11, security-patched monthly, with no feature upgrades and none of the consumer extras. Microsoft supports each LTSC release for years without changing it.
LTSC is what Microsoft itself recommends for kiosks, medical and industrial systems, and any machine where a surprise upgrade is a problem. It is also, as it happens, the right Windows for a small desktop.
Why it suits Light
Light has three gigabytes of memory and four virtual cores. That is comfortable for a browser, a mailbox and a document, provided the operating system is not spending the memory first. On the general channel, Windows reserves a share of it for things a work desktop never uses - the widgets feed, Copilot, background Store updates, the apps that are pre-installed for the sake of being there. On LTSC, that share goes to your programs instead.
- Less memory and processing taken at idle, so the three gigabytes are yours.
- A smaller system footprint on the 80 GB system drive.
- No annual feature upgrade rebuilding the machine over a weekend and changing where things are.
- Nothing self-installing in the background: what is on the desktop is Windows, its updates, and what you put there.
- The same monthly security updates as every other Windows 11.
What is the same
It is Windows 11. The kernel, the desktop, the Start menu, File Explorer, printing, networking, Remote Desktop and the browser session you open it through are the ones you know. Ordinary Windows programs install and run exactly as they do on any other Windows 11: browsers, accounting packages, line-of-business software, anything with a normal installer. The Microsoft Office desktop applications - Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint - are already installed on every Light desktop; they are not activated, so you sign in with your own Microsoft 365 account or enter your own product key and they are ready. You have full administrator rights on the machine, the Windows license is pre-activated and included in the price, and support is the same round-the-clock support as on the other packages.
What is different
- No Microsoft Store. Software that is only distributed through the Store is not available unless you add the Store yourself, which administrator rights allow. Almost all business software installs normally and does not need it.
- No Copilot, widgets, news feed, Teams chat, Clipchamp, games or Xbox components. If you want an app of that kind, install it as you would any program.
- The bundled apps are the classic ones: Notepad, Calculator, Paint, Snipping Tool.
- No feature upgrades. The build stays the build; you get security updates monthly.
Basic, Standard and Advanced have the memory to carry the general channel comfortably and run standard Windows 11. If a program you rely on is Store-only, or your organization requires the general channel, choose one of those.
The four plans
Four packages of the same fast-performing Windows 11 computer, from a light desk for browsing and email to a workstation-class machine. Administrator rights and round-the-clock support on all of them.
Common questions
Is Windows 11 LTSC a real Windows 11?
Yes. It is the same Windows 11 from Microsoft, on the long-term servicing channel: the same kernel and desktop, security-updated monthly, with the consumer extras left out and no feature upgrades. The license is pre-activated and included in the price.
Will my programs run on it?
Anything with a normal Windows installer runs as on any other Windows 11 - browsers, accounting and line-of-business software, and the Office desktop applications, which come pre-installed on Light. The exception is software distributed only through the Microsoft Store, which is not installed on LTSC; you can add the Store with your administrator rights if you need it.
Is Microsoft Office included?
The Office desktop applications are pre-installed on every Light desktop, so there is nothing to download. They are not activated: the Office license is yours to bring, either by signing in with a Microsoft 365 account that includes the desktop apps or by entering your own product key. Windows itself is licensed and activated already.
Does it get security updates?
Yes, monthly, like every supported Windows. What it does not get is the annual feature upgrade that rebuilds the operating system.
Why not put LTSC on every package?
Because the general channel is what most people expect on a machine that replaces their office PC, and Basic, Standard and Advanced have the memory to run it well. Light is the package where the operating system's own appetite matters, so Light gets the edition that has the smallest one.
Can I have Light with standard Windows 11 instead?
Light is offered on LTSC only, because that is what makes three gigabytes work well. If you need the general channel, Basic is the smallest package that runs it.
A fast Windows desktop, delivered instantly
Four packages from $11.95 a month on a server-class host, with the Windows license and administrator rights included. No contract, no minimum term.
