14 DAY TRIAL // The January 2023 Patch Tuesday updates are now live, and as a result, Microsoft has also shipped the last updates for Windows 8.1.
The operating system is therefore no longer getting any further updates, which means that it’s now a retired platform.
Users still running it, however, are recommended to upgrade to a newer Windows version as soon as possible, especially because any vulnerabilities discovered in the operating system would just be left without a fix.
“Windows 8.1 will reach end of support on January 10, 2023, at which point technical assistance and software updates will no longer be provided. If you have devices running Windows 8.1, we recommend upgrading them to a more current, in-service, and supported Windows release. If devices do not meet the technical requirements to run a more current release of Windows, we recommend that you replace the device with one that supports Windows 11,” the software giant explains.
No further updates and no extended security patches
As compared to Windows 7, which is exiting its last year of security updates today, Windows 8.1 isn’t going to get any extended patches.
In other words, Microsoft isn’t launching an Extended Security Updates program for Windows 8.1, which means that today, the operating system is retired once and for all and no device still running it would be serviced in the future.
“Microsoft will not be offering an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1. Continuing to use Windows 8.1 after January 10, 2023 may increase an organization’s exposure to security risks or impact its ability to meet compliance obligations,” the company said.
While no such specifics are available, it’s believed Windows 8.1 has a rather small market share, especially because it wasn’t necessarily a successful operating system in the first place.