Don’t we just love them? Windows 8.1, a rather underrated version of the operating system, is set to reach its end of life on January 10, 2023. And this is a date that is getting ever closer.
To prepare this small user base, Microsoft has made a decision to send them messages similar to the ones that those using Windows 7 received before its end of support. These notifications about the upcoming death of the operating system will go live sometime in in July.
The more things change, the more they stay the same!
Redmond officially confirmed this, revealing that users will have options to receive notification later, receive it after January 10, 2023, and learn more. The latter choice will guide them to a support article that explains what end of support means and what they can do.
This version of the operating system already reached the end of mainstream support a few years back, on January 9, 2018 to be exact.
Distressingly, Microsoft does not currently offer free upgrade paths from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11, or even Windows 10. This means that these folks need to consider buying a license for a newer release.
Of course, Microsoft recommends that you go one up, and purchase a new computer that actually fully supports these newer operating systems, because those built for Windows 8.1 are designed with technology that is about 10 years old.
Windows 8.1 was released on October 17, 2023, after all.
Interestingly, this version of the OS was the only major Windows release that Microsoft allowed you to download from the Microsoft Store — similar to how Apple updates macOS.
This version was clearly an attempt from the company to fix the mess that was the initial launch of Windows 8. It brought back and took care of a number of problems that broke the platform, including bringing back the traditional Start Menu as well as the option to boot directly into the desktop.
It also included Internet Explorer 11, which saw its final days last month.
