Microsoft to Halt Windows 7 Updates and Security Patches In 2020

• Microsoft will no longer offer support for Windows 7 from January 14, 2020.
• The OS is already on its extended support period and will no longer receive security updates or new features from next year.
• Users are being urged by Microsoft to update to Windows 10.

Windows 7 has been one of Microsoft’s most popular operating systems of all time, and it seems like it is time for the aging OS to hang up its boots. Microsoft announced that it will be ending support for the operating system on January 14, 2020, after which users will no longer receive any updates which was first spotted by WindowsLatest.

Support for Windows 7 originally ended on January 2015, and the OS is currently on its extended support period. Microsoft’s extended support period which lasts five years is meant to bring any critical updates or fix security issues for the company’s operating systems. Any new exploits that are discovered past the deadline will not be patched. However, users can continue to use the operating system at their own risk if they do not wish to upgrade. Only business users can request extended support, but that is a paid option.

Windows 8 will stop receiving support on January 2023. Windows 8 was not particularly successful as users chose to stick with Windows 7 for various reasons including a cleaner UI and faster performance overall. Windows 10, on the other hand, has been a significant upgrade, and Microsoft has offered the OS as a free upgrade to both Windows 7 and Windows 8 users in the past.

Windows 10 is Microsoft’s flagship operating system, and it will see its support end on October 13, 2020. Extended support for the current gen OS will end on October 14, 2025. It is expected that we will see the next iteration of Microsoft’s OS to be released sometime by next year. It is recommended to stay on the latest operating system for security purposes, and Windows 7 users should move on to a newer version once support ends of Microsoft’s OS or alternative options like Linux and Mac OS.

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