September, 2018

Every Windows product has a life cycle. The life cycle begins when a product is released and ends when it’s no longer supported. Knowing key dates in this life cycle helps you make informed decisions about when to update, upgrade or make other changes to your software.

Prior releases of the Windows operating system are governed by the Fixed Life cycle Policy. This policy comprises two phases: mainstream support and extended support. See Microsoft Fixed Policy Details for more details.

Client Operating Systems                                  End of Mainstream Support                                     End of Extended Support

Windows 8.1                                                        January 9, 2018                                                        January 10, 2023

Windows 7, service pack 1*                             January 15, 2015                                                        January 14, 2020

* Support for Windows 7 RTM without service packs ended on April 9, 2013. Be sure to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to continue to receive support and updates.

Prior versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, have limited support when running on new processors and chipsets from manufacturers like Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Qualcomm. For more information, see the Microsoft Lifecycle FAQ. A device may not be able to run prior versions of Windows if the device hardware is incompatible, lacks current drivers, or is otherwise outside the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) support period.