Microsoft to end OneDrive updates to Windows 7

According to a blog post on Microsoft’s Tech Community forum, OneDrive customers running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 will be unable to sync their material to the cloud starting March 1st, 2022. If OneDrive is installed on a system that does not have Windows 10 or Windows 11 installed, it will no longer get updates.

Files will still be accessible from the OneDrive app, regardless of the Windows version; however, they will no longer automatically upload to the cloud. Microsoft suggests updating to a newer version of Windows before March of next year to avoid any complications with OneDrive. Users who have systems that can’t run Windows 10 or Windows 11 can still back up their files by uploading them to the OneDrive online app, according to Microsoft.

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OneDrive for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will lose support on January 1st, along with updates and the ability to sync. The shift was made to “focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience,” according to Microsoft.

Microsoft stopped mainstream support for Windows 8 in 2016, and it will end support for Windows 8.1 in 2018 and Windows 7 in 2020. Now that Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 support will end in 2025, it may be time to start planning for a Windows 11 upgrade.