After a few months, Microsoft will stop providing support for Windows 8.1. The company has already stated that as of January 10, 2023, users of this Windows version will no longer be able to receive updates for it. The software giant has reportedly begun reminding current Windows 8.1 users to do the same, according to a report by The Verge.
After January 10, “if you’re running Microsoft 365, you’ll no longer receive updates for the Office apps; this includes features, security, and other quality updates. In order to continue to receive Microsoft 365 product updates, we recommend upgrading Windows 8 or 8.1 to a supported operating system,” the tech giant said on its support page.
Microsoft ceased providing security updates for Windows 8 on January 12, 2016. Users of Windows 8.1 still have plenty of time, but they should be aware that Microsoft 365 apps won’t function properly after this version’s end of support date. To avoid any reliability or performance issues, the company is advising users to upgrade to a newer version of Windows.
Using Windows 8.1 version? Here’s what you can do
You can easily upgrade to Windows 10 if your computer is running an outdated version of Windows. Windows 11 has also been unveiled by Microsoft. However, it’s unlikely that the majority of Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices will meet the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11.
If your computer doesn’t meet the system requirements for the latest version, then you will have to use the Windows 10 OS. Do keep in mind that Windows 10 will only be supported until 2025. Microsoft is no longer offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 and one will have to pay Rs 10,379 for the license, as per the official website of Microsoft. One can also consider buying a new Windows 11-compatible PC if they feel that their computer should get replaced by a new one.
