It is the top of the road for Home windows 7 and Home windows 8.1. Each of those older variations of Home windows (plus Home windows RT) cease receiving all safety updates at the moment, over a decade after their authentic releases. Microsoft may even cease offering Microsoft Edge browser updates for these working techniques in just a few days, and the remaining third-party apps that also work will ultimately observe go well with (Google Chrome assist, most notably, ends early subsequent month).

Home windows 7 assist for most individuals really ended three years in the past, however companies that also used it may pay for as much as three years of extra assist whereas they transitioned to Home windows 10 or 11. That window has now closed, and Microsoft is not providing a paid assist choice for Home windows 8.1.

Home windows 7 and Home windows 8.1 PCs are uncommon and getting rarer, however each are nonetheless in comparatively broad use given their age. Statcounter says that each OSes depend for just below 14 % of all Home windows PCs worldwide and nearer to 8 % within the US. For PCs in the Steam {Hardware} Survey, the quantity is at present hovering at round 2 %.

It isn’t fully unprecedented for Microsoft to launch one-off patches for extreme safety issues after an working system’s end-of-support date has handed. However these working techniques will now not obtain the routine safety updates and bug fixes that maintain them comparatively protected and useful for years after their launch.

In the event you or somebody whose pc you reluctantly assist continues to be working Home windows 7 or 8.1, the best escape hatch wanting shopping for new {hardware} is an improve to Home windows 10. It ought to nonetheless set up without cost on most correctly licensed Home windows 7 and eight.1 PCs, it has many of the similar system necessities, and will probably be supported till at the least October of 2025. PCs that shipped with Home windows 7 or 8 will largely be too previous to satisfy Home windows 11’s system necessities, although an unsupported set up is an choice.

Linux, one other regularly up to date working system that helps a variety of PC {hardware}, additionally exists.

Home windows 7 is fondly remembered for bettering upon (and, to some extent, rebranding) Home windows Vista. Home windows 8 and eight.1 have been by no means as in style, and so they tried to pressure a touchscreen-centric person interface on individuals who did not want or need it, however they did lots to enhance Home windows’ touchscreen assist, and the period impressed enduringly in style PC designs like Microsoft’s Floor and Lenovo’s foldable Yoga convertible laptops. Home windows RT, an Arm model of Home windows 8 that shipped with none form of compatibility layer for desktop Home windows apps, additionally helped construct a basis for the present Arm variations of the working system.