Microsoft has started notifying users of Windows 7 that support will be halted next year. A patch was released on Wednesday that will continue to remind users of that happening next year.

Microsoft had already announced that support for Windows 7 will expire in 2020, but will now actively warn users of the operating system. In a new update for Windows 7 there is a warning screen that is shown to all users when the computer is started. In the message you can read that after ten years the support of Windows 7 will end on January 14, 2020.

After 10 years of servicing, January 14, 2020, is the last day Microsoft will offer security updates for computers running Windows 7 SP1. This update enables reminders about Windows 7 end of support.

Windows 7 support lifecycle
Microsoft made a commitment to provide 10 years of product support for Windows 7 when it was released on October 22, 2009. When this 10-year period ends, Microsoft will discontinue Windows 7 support so that we can focus our investment on supporting newer technologies and great new experiences. The specific end of support day for Windows 7 will be January 14, 2020. After that, technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update that help protect your PC will no longer be available for the product. Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.

In 2018, 43 percent of Windows computers were still running Windows 7. 34 percent of Windows computers were already running Windows 10. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of computers are still running Windows 7. Windows 7 came out in 2009 and succeeded Windows Vista. The successor, Windows 8, is significantly less popular. The more recent Windows 10 is therefore seen as the replacement for Windows 7.

Microsoft informs Windows 7 users that support will stop next year