Microsoft is preparing to drop support for its Microsoft 365 apps on some older versions of Windows next year. The software giant has announced that Microsoft 365 apps will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 after January 10, 2023.
The recent blog post follows Microsoft’s previous announcement made last month that it would start sending reminders to Windows 8.1 users that support will end in 2023. The OS will receive its final update on January 10, and the July Patch Tuesday updates bring end of support notifications for Windows 8.1 PCs.
Microsoft originally sunset Windows 7 support back in January 2020, but the company offered Extended Security Updates (ESU) for enterprise customers who were not yet ready to upgrade. The ESU program will end on January 10, 2023, and support for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 machines will also be retired on the same date.
“Microsoft 365 Apps is supported under the Modern Lifecycle Policy. Therefore, the apps are supported continuously given that customers stay current per the servicing and system requirements. These requirements include using Microsoft 365 Apps on an operating system currently in support,” the company explained.
Microsoft advises users to move to Windows 10 or 11
Once the end of support date arrives, Microsoft 365 apps running on older Windows versions will stop receiving new feature, security, and other quality updates. This means that organizations would be vulnerable to security risks and no longer meet compliance requirements. Additionally, the new installations of Microsoft 365 apps will be blocked on all unsupported devices.
Microsoft encourages users to upgrade to the newer operating system (such as Windows 10 or Windows 11) so that they may continue to receive updates for Microsoft 365 apps. The firm has published a Windows and Office configuration support matrix that can help customers choose a version that meets their specific needs.