M365 Changelog: Aligning OneDrive sync on Windows support with Windows OS lifecycle policy

MC296615 – Beginning January 1, 2022, Microsoft will be aligning the OneDrive Desktop application (sync app) support lifecycle with the Windows support lifecycle.

• Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will be supported until January 10, 2023.
• Windows 8 reached end of support on January 12, 2016.

If you are not using the OneDrive sync app on any of these operating systems, you can safely ignore this message.

Key points:

• Timing: Microsoft will begin rollout on January 1, 2022 and expect to complete by mid-January.
• Action: review and update impacted machines as appropriate.

How this affects your organization:

If you are running the OneDrive sync app on:

• Windows 8.1, you will no longer receive feature updates but will receive security fixes until January 10, 2023.
• Windows 7 and participate in the Extended Security Update (ESU) program, you will continue to receive critical and important security updates (as defined by the Microsoft Security Response Center) until January 10, 2023.
• Windows 8, you will no longer receive updates or fixes as Windows 8 is no longer supported.

Note: Extended Security Updates do not include new features, customer-requested non-security updates, or design change requests.

What you need to do to prepare:

To ensure a smooth transition Microsoft recommends that you upgrade machines appropriately. Machines running on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 should be upgraded to Windows 10 or Windows 11 for the best experience.