Why it is Time to Say Goodbye to Windows 7 and 8

As of January 14, 2023, Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows 7 and 8.1. This may come as a surprise to some, considering Windows 7 was released back in 2009 and still has a significant market share of 11.2% according to Statcounter. But the truth is, it's time to say goodbye to these older operating systems and upgrade to something newer and safer.

Three years ago, on January 14, 2020, Microsoft ended security updates for Windows 7. But today marks the end of the Extended Security Update program for Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise editions. This means that companies can no longer pay Microsoft to receive security updates for their PCs running Windows 7. And, support for Windows 8.1 is also discontinued, which means users won’t get any security updates or technical support starting today.

So, what does this mean for you? If you're still running Windows 7 or 8.1, it's time to upgrade. Microsoft recommends either buying a new PC that supports Windows 11 or upgrading your current PC to Windows 10 or 11. However, keep in mind that Windows 11 has strict minimum requirements and all PCs released during the Windows 8.1 era won’t be eligible.

You may have heard that Microsoft doesn't offer free upgrades from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10, but that's not entirely true. With a valid Windows 7 or 8.1 license, you can still install Windows 10, which will be supported until October 2025.

And, it's not just Microsoft ending support for these older operating systems. This week, Microsoft Edge 109 and Google Chrome 109 will be also released and they will be the last versions to support Windows 7 and 8.1. So, using these unsupported operating systems going forward puts you at risk of security vulnerabilities and other issues.

In short, it's time to move on from Windows 7 and 8.1. Upgrade to something newer and safer to ensure your computer's security and performance.

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