Windows 8.1 is set to reach end of life on January 10 2023, and the company is beginning to ramp up its operation to switch users over to its latest OS, Windows 11.
Now, when logging into the operating system, Windows 8.1 will display a full-screen alert to notify users that security updates will cease at the beginning of next year.
The notification reads: “January 10, 2023 is the last day Microsoft will offer security updates and technical support for PCs that run Windows 8.1. We are reaching out now to thank you for your loyalty and help you prepare for what's next.”
Windows 8.1 End of Service
A ‘Learn More’ link directs users to the Microsoft website, but users can delay the notification for 35 days by clicking ‘Remind me later,’ or until January 2023 with the ‘Remind me after the end of support date’ button.
The update was introduced on July 12, 2022 as part of the KB5015874 cumulative update. The popup runs with the newly introduced EOSnotify.exe program which appears at each login, and a secondary EOSnotify2 program set to notify users once daily.
Business users running Pro and Enterprise devices will not receive the notification.
All Windows 8.1 users can also stop the popup by configuring a DiscontinueEOS value, however the warnings are designed to be obstructive by default because running a dated OS with no security updates can be risky.
This news follows the company confirming that it will end security patches for Microsoft 365 on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices, as well as blocking any new installations of the Office apps on old systems. Windows 8 was launched late in 2012, with the 8.1 major update following one year later, meaning the OS will have run for around a decade before it gets axed entirely.
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