From January 1, 2022, Microsoft will stop pushing updates for OneDrive’s desktop app for older Windows versions. The use of this app will remain viable for some time. For users on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 who wish to continue syncing their personal files to the cloud, the deadline is March 1, 2022.
The personal version of Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service will be ending support on January 1, 2022, for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. Files will still be accessible from the OneDrive app no matter what version of Windows you’re using. However, they will no longer be automatically uploaded to the cloud.
If users want all the advantages of Microsoft’s new operating system, they’re going to need to upgrade too. It could become one more reason for people to consider upgrading to Windows 11 or buying Windows 10 if they want the benefits of OneDrive on their desktop.
Microsoft recently revealed that by ending the support for OneDrive, this decision will allow the company to focus on its newest and most popular technologies while giving users an up-to-date and secure OneDrive experience. As a result, updates for the desktop app will no longer be pushed to older Windows versions.
In case your system isn’t supported, or you’re unwilling to upgrade, Microsoft suggests manually uploading and accessing files on OneDrive. The latter will also become their sole destination for file uploading and collaboration once syncing on the desktop app stops on March 1, 2022.
It is important to note that these changes and deadlines only apply to personal OneDrive users on older Windows versions. For those using OneDrive for business on older Windows versions, Microsoft notes that app support will be aligned with their OS support lifecycle starting January 2022. This means that the app will be supported until January 2023 for Windows 7 & 8.1 users, while it ended support for Windows 8 in 2016.
