Microsoft is preparing to send reminders to Windows 8.1 users that support ends on January 10, 2023. The software giant will start sending notifications to existing Windows 8.1 devices next month, as an initial reminder before end support in January 2023.
The notifications are similar to those Microsoft used in the past to remind Windows 7 users of end of support dates. Microsoft originally stopped supporting Windows 8 in 2016. But full support for Windows 8.1 ends in January 2023.
The company will not offer the Extended Security Update program for Windows 8.1. As a result, companies will not be able to pay for more security patches. You must upgrade or accept the risks of running the software without security updates.
Windows 8.1 reformed the way Windows 8 was received. Windows 8 introduced a new touch-centric vision for Microsoft’s future. But get rid of the traditional desktop and start button in a way that many computer users rejected it. The mobile-focused operating system did not match what users wanted. Windows 8.1 has brought back the Start button.
Despite the improvements of Windows 8.1, the Windows 8 era is heading to become one of Microsoft’s past eras. And many of the company’s customers are keen to forget about it. Microsoft tried to update Windows in the face of iPad competition. But I lost many clients as a result.
Windows 10 arrived in 2015 undoing many of the changes to Windows 8. Windows 11 also removed the Live Tiles feature from the Start menu, and fixed many of the old problems that had been present in Windows for decades. Windows 8.1 users now need to decide whether they want to upgrade the operating system or buy a new hardware device. Most Windows 8.1 devices will not support Windows 11, due to strict CPU requirements.
Microsoft warns Windows 8.1 users
Microsoft explains that most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 computers will not meet the hardware requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. However, compatible Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 computers can be upgraded to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing a full version of the software. This makes Windows 10 the likely path to upgrade, whose support will continue until October 14, 2025.
Windows 8.1 devices will not stop working on January 10, 2023. But continuing to use the operating system into the next year without software updates and security fixes is a huge risk. The Microsoft support site contains a set of frequently asked questions and articles to help Windows 8.1 users upgrade or transfer files to a new device.
