Microsoft Ending OneDrive App Support For Windows 7 & 8 in March

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users will no longer be able to sync their personal files to the cloud via the OneDrive app starting 1 March 2022.

Credit: Microsoft

The OneDrive desktop app on the aforementioned versions of Windows will also stop receiving updates beginning 1 January 2022, according to a post on Microsoft’s Tech Community forum.

If you’re still running older versions of Windows, Microsoft recommends updating to Windows 10 or 11 before March 2022. If you’re unable to do so, you can continue to upload and access your files using OneDrive for Web.

Microsoft said it’s ending OneDrive support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 "in order to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience".

Credit: Microsoft

OneDrive is Microsoft’s file hosting and cloud storage platform. It allows you to save photos and documents on the company’s servers, where you can access them on multiple devices.

There are also alternatives to OneDrive on Windows in case you’re unable to update to the latest versions of the desktop operating system or you want to try a different service. Sync.com, for instance, offers 5GB of personal storage for free users – the same with OneDrive’s free tier. Dropbox and Google Drive are also very popular for being easy to use.

Microsoft, however, added that support for the OneDrive desktop application for business will be aligned with the Windows support lifecycle, starting 1 January 2022. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are in extended support until 10 January 2023 with Windows 8 having stopped receiving support in 2016.

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Written by Kyle Chua