Microsoft ends Windows 7 support: Here's what you can do

Microsoft Windows 7 was launched back in 2009, which makes the operating system more than a decade old. Now, the OS is finally reaching its end of support, which means the company will stop providing free technical support and updates that include security patches. Microsoft now recommends that everyone should start shifting to the newer and much reliable operating system, Windows 10.

While Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 starting January 14, Google still promises to support Chrome on Windows 7 laptops and PCs for the next 18 months. Windows 7 users will stop receiving updates for Google Chrome browser starting July next year.

What's next?

As the company has announced the end of support, Windows 7 will still continue to work on PCs that have it already installed. However, the company will not be responsible to fix any software vulnerabilities. This will make Windows 7 PCs more vulnerable to viruses and hacks. So, the ideal solution is to switch to the latest iteration of Windows.

If you are running a genuine copy of Windows 7, you are lucky. Microsoft is providing a free upgrade to users that can be downloaded using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, which can be found on the company's website. While the free Windows 10 upgrade officially ended in 2016, it still works.

Also Read: How to change Windows 10 default browser from Microsoft Edge to others

Microsoft does recommend that users should avoid installing the latest iteration of Windows on very old devices. Those devices can switch to Windows 8.1 for further support. Also, it is worth noting that the company will be ending support for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023.