Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 one year from today

After that, you're on your own -- you won't get updates or security fixes.

Marrian Zhou Staff Reporter

Marrian Zhou is a Beijing-born Californian living in New York City. She joined CNET as a staff reporter upon graduation from Columbia Journalism School. When Marrian is not reporting, she is probably binge watching, playing saxophone or eating hot pot.

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Marrian Zhou

Jan. 14, 2019 1:35 p.m. PT

If you still use Windows 7 , it may be time to consider an upgrade. Here's how to download and upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

Starting Jan. 14, 2020, exactly one year from today, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7. That means no more updates or security fixes for the operating system.

"Changes and upgrades in technology are inevitable," Brad Anderson, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365, said in a post on Microsoft's official blog. "And there's never been a better time to start putting in motion the things you need to do to shift your organization to a modern desktop with Microsoft 365."

Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Windows 7 to business customers that pay for support, according to ZDNet, but not to individual users.

Windows 7 was released in 2009 and is still one of the most widely used desktop operating systems. Windows 10 finally overtook Windows 7 in the desktop market at the end of 2018, according to ZDNet. NetMarketShare's December 2018 report showed that 39.2 percent of the machines it collects data from used Windows 10, while 36.9 percent used Windows 7, according to ZDNet.

In 2012, the computer giant decided to extend five more years of Windows 7 support for all editions to individual users.