Microsoft prepares to forget about Windows 8.1 with end of support notifications
Microsoft is preparing to send reminders to Windows 8.1 users that support will end on January 10th 2023. The software giant will start sending notifications to existing Windows 8.1 devices next month, as a first reminder leading up to the January 2023 support cutoff.
The notifications will be similar to ones Microsoft has used in the past to remind Windows 7 users about end of support dates. Microsoft originally sunset Windows 8 support in 2016, but the Windows 8.1 update will cease support fully in January 2023. Microsoft will not be offering an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1, so businesses won’t be able to pay for additional security patches and will have to upgrade or accept the risk of running software without security updates.
Windows 8.1 was largely a big fix for the reception to Windows 8. Windows 8 introduced a new touch-centric vision for Microsoft’s future, but it ditched the traditional desktop and Start button in such a big way that many PC users rejected it. The mobile-first OS didn’t jibe with what users wanted, and Windows 8.1 brought back the Start button in an admission from Microsoft that it had messed up.
