For the users of Windows operating systems, changes are imminent.
The company is yanking support for the windows 7 Extended Security Update (ESU) and Windows 8 and 8.1 on Tuesday, January 10.
This also means that the users of those OSes will need to shift to Windows 10 or 11 to continue getting technical assistance and software updates.
This includes crucial security updates that were still coming to Windows 7 systems via the ESU program even though most other support for the OS ended in January 2020. The company said it will not extend a similar ESU program for Windows 8 or 8.1.
The end of Windows 8.1 support was updated in a document “If you have devices running Windows 8.1, we recommend upgrading them to a more current, in-service, and supported Windows release.
“If devices do not meet the technical requirements to run a more current release of Windows, we recommend that you replace the device with one that supports Windows 11.”
More Than 10% Windows PCs affected
The overall development implies that many users have an impending decision to make. As per the StatCounter, out of all the of desktops worldwide, more than 11% work on Windows 7 and more than 2.59 % run on Windows 8.1.
Windows 8 accounts for less than 1 percent of all redmond-powered desktops.
Microsoft Pushes For Windows 11, Whereas Windows 10 Most Adopted
It is the Windows 10, with 68%, which is the most adopted Windows. and Windows 11 – which has seen relatively slow adoption among consumers – is on about 17 percent.
Though the organizations which typically lag consumer adoption of OSes, are beginning to test Windows 11 in earnest.
In order to push the users of Windows 7 to use Windows 11, the tech giant wrote that “PCs have changed substantially since Windows 7 was first released 10 years ago. Today’s computers are faster, more powerful, and sleeker – plus they come with Windows 11 already installed.”
It wrote that most Windows 7 machines don’t meet the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11, but added that users have the option to upgrade their Windows 7 PCs to Windows 10 instead. However, support for Windows 10 will end October 14, 2025, so they will have to weigh whether to take that intermediate step to Windows 10 or go all in with Windows 11.
The changes aren’t ending there. Microsoft’s version 109 of both its Edge browser and WebView2 Runtime will be the last to support Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Both are scheduled to be released this week. The timeline will apply to both the Evergreen and Fixed versions of the WebView2 Runtime.
