Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 and 8.1 today, bidding the final farewell for both.

But wait, didn’t Windows 7 support end like 3 years ago? That happened but Microsoft provided an extended security update program for all the users who were still using it.

This included educational institutions and large corporations, who were in the middle of upgrading to Windows 10, by paying a nominal fee.

That window has closed for Windows 7 and 8.1 as both of them will no longer receive technical or security updates from today onwards.

You can continue to use the operating systems but watch out possibilities of new vulnerabilities which won’t be patched by Microsoft.

Windows 7 Stood the Test of Time

Windows 7 was released in 2009 and been around for more than a decade. You will still find over 11% of computer users running the operating system, as per statcounter.

On the other hand, its successor 8.1’s popularity was short-lived and it currently has a market share just shy of 3%.

What’s next for Windows 7 and 8.1 users?

They can stay on their operating system and open themselves to security vulnerabilities and incompatibilities with new programs or officially upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

You can also jump to Windows 11 but you may require some level of hardware upgrade on your computer. We can bypass the TPM 2.0 requirement but 8 GB RAM would be a minimum since it’s a 64-bit only operating system.

Windows 7 gets a Farewell Gift

Microsoft silently pushed Secure Boot support for Windows 7 with a few requirements. This will open up a lot of possibilities with an added layer of security.