It's not completely unprecedented for Microsoft to release one-off patches for severe security problems after an operating system's end-of-support date has passed. Advertisementįurther Reading “Too much and too soon”-Steven Sinofsky looks back at Windows 8, 10 years later For PCs in the Steam Hardware Survey, the number is currently hovering at around 2 percent. Statcounter says that both OSes count for just under 14 percent of all Windows PCs worldwide and closer to 8 percent in the US. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs are rare and getting rarer, but both are still in relatively wide use given their age.

That window has now closed, and Microsoft isn't offering a paid support option for Windows 8.1. Windows 7 support for most people actually ended three years ago, but businesses that still used it could pay for up to three years of additional support while they transitioned to Windows 10 or 11.

Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Edge browser updates for these operating systems in a few days, and the remaining third-party apps that still work will eventually follow suit (Google Chrome support, most notably, ends early next month). These older versions of Windows (plus Windows RT) stop receiving all security updates today, over a decade after their original releases. It's the end of the line for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. If you installed Windows 7 or Windows 8 yourself, you’ll want to find the license key you purchased.Further Reading Support for Windows 7 and 8 fully ends in January, including Microsoft Edge This key may be printed on a sticker on your PC’s case or on your laptop. We also encourage you to find your Windows 7 (or Windows 8) key, just in case you need it. The upgrade process shouldn’t erase your files unless you choose to erase them, but it’s always a good idea to have a current backup-especially when you’re performing a major operating system upgrade. RELATED: You Can Still Get Windows 10 for Free With a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key Back Up Before Upgradingīefore you get started, we recommend you back up your files. We wouldn’t worry about it for home PCs, but organizations should likely contact their Microsoft licensing partner for more details. If you have Windows 7 PCs in your business, Microsoft may not consider you compliant with the terms of its licensing agreement after using this method to upgrade your business PCs. Update: Note that we can’t speak to the business licensing side of things here.

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