Microsoft to Kill OneDrive for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 in Early 2022

Microsoft revealed this week that it will no longer support OneDrive on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 starting on March 1, 2022.

“In order to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience, beginning January 1, 2022, updates will no longer be provided for the OneDrive desktop application on your personal Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 devices,” Microsoft’s Ankita Kirti writes in the announcement post. “Personal OneDrive desktop applications running on these operating systems will stop syncing to the cloud on March 1, 2022. [And] after March 1, 2022, your personal files will no longer sync.”

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Microsoft naturally recommends that OneDrive users who need local access upgrade their PC to Windows 10 or Windows 11. If for some reason your PC doesn’t support these newer Windows versions, you can continue accessing OneDrive via its web interface.

These dates apply to both OneDrive for consumers and OneDrive for Business.

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Conversation 41 comments

  • spacecamel

    Premium Member
    06 November, 2021 - 11:00 am

    <p>Isn’t 8.1 still supported until 2023? This is strange. </p>

    • wunderbar

      Premium Member
      06 November, 2021 - 12:06 pm

      <p>That’s what I was going to say. No issue with dropping support for Windows 7. But they should support it on a supported operating system in 8.1.</p>

    • feek

      Premium Member
      06 November, 2021 - 12:39 pm

      <p>My thought as well… super shady imo</p>

      • winner

        06 November, 2021 - 11:48 pm

        <p>Nowhere the first time they’ve been super shady. The customer is there to be manipulated and to do beta testing.</p>

    • train_wreck

      06 November, 2021 - 1:32 pm

      <p>Surely they’ll walk that back. Seems to be an MO of sorts lately.</p>

      • jgraebner

        Premium Member
        06 November, 2021 - 3:48 pm

        <p>My guess is that there aren’t enough people using 8.1 for Microsoft to worry about it. Businesses, in particular, almost universally skipped the 8.x series.</p>

        • hrlngrv

          Premium Member
          06 November, 2021 - 8:56 pm

          <p>From the article,</p><p><br></p><p>| <em>These dates apply to both </em><strong><em>OneDrive for consumers</em></strong><em> and OneDrive for Business. </em>[emphasis added]</p><p><br></p><p>Doesn’t matter if all businesses skipped Windows 8.x. Consumers are entitled to all the functionality a reasonable person would believe was bundled with Windows 8.1 until it reaches EOS. OTOH, maybe MSFT believes it’d be cheaper to buy off complaining Windows 8.1 users than to continue to support OneDrive syncing under Windows 8.1 for little more than 1 more year.</p>

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        06 November, 2021 - 8:52 pm

        <p>There’s a chance the MSFT employee who made this public communication failed to pass it by MSFT’s lawyers first. That soft of thing happens even in companies like MSFT.</p>

    • mikegalos

      07 November, 2021 - 10:15 am

      <p><span style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23);">Windows 8.1 reached the end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018.</span></p><p><br></p>

      • SvenJ

        07 November, 2021 - 5:52 pm

        <p>That doesn’t seem to be the consensus in numerous posts. If true, I can see them dropping support for OneDrive. If not, seems premature. If you are clinging to an OS that is out of support, you have to deal with the consequences. That’s going to be a consideration for many around 2025. Many won’t have the option of just ugrading.</p>

        • mikegalos

          09 November, 2021 - 1:36 am

          <p>It’s not an opinion up for consensus. It’s the official status of the operating system as announced by Microsoft years ago and still the official status.</p><p><br></p><p>If people think Windows 8.1 is still in mainstream support, consensus or not, they’re just wrong.</p>

      • brettscoast

        Premium Member
        07 November, 2021 - 6:08 pm

        <p>Fair point Mike. Windows 8.1 worldwide usage is a tick over 3% presently. So Microsoft killing off onedrive support for these ageing out of date Windows versions seems logical given the timeframes involved.</p>

    • Donte

      07 November, 2021 - 2:26 pm

      <p>Either its a mistake, which is entirely possible from the communications department at Microsoft. Or there either none or so few people using both Windows 8.1 (2013) and OneDrive.</p><p><br></p><p>I know lots of people that run Windows that do not ever login to a Microsoft or its cloud products. Mostly gamers but even some others. I also know people that do not login to the Windows clients but do use Office 365 100% from the browser.</p><p><br></p><p>I know exactly NO ONE, running Windows 8.x of any kind. I remember we tested it at work and did a hard pass, staying with Windows 7 until 2017 before starting our Windows 10 migration. Personally I stuck with Windows 7 on my gaming PC until about 2016, maybe 2017 going to Windows 10 and never installing Windows 8. There I will sit until its no longer supported….or I just give up Windows.</p>

  • JH_Radio

    Premium Member
    06 November, 2021 - 1:40 pm

    <p>Dropping OneDrive on a supported OS? Why. Windows 8.1 isn’t out of support until January 2023.</p><p>Windows 7 I completely get, but Windows 8.1? I don’t get it. </p>

    • mikegalos

      08 November, 2021 - 11:26 am

      <p><span style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23);">Windows 8.1 reached the end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23);">It currently is on Extended Support which means it just gets security patches.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23);"><span class="ql-cursor"></span> </span></p><p><br></p>

  • JH_Radio

    Premium Member
    06 November, 2021 - 1:42 pm

    <p>But then JAWS 2022 (my screene reader) doesn’t support Windows 8.1 as of the 2022 version either.</p><p>I’m guessing almost no one must use 8.1, which is why.</p><p> </p>

  • blue77star

    06 November, 2021 - 2:37 pm

    <p>Like I ever used that garbage on my Windows 7.</p>

  • crunchyfrog

    06 November, 2021 - 5:25 pm

    <p>It’s things like this that drove me to use Sync.com.</p>

    • Donte

      07 November, 2021 - 2:33 pm

      <p>Sync…dot…com. I had to look that up, never heard of it. Are you using Windows 8.1 with it? It also looks pretty limited with the single folder sync concept. OneDrive and others automatically sync your desktop, documents etc. Much easier for the average user to just save files to the default and its covered.</p><p><br></p><p>Add to that, will they be here in 5 years? I see storage only companies, waiting to be bought up or go out of business. Cloud storage in 2021 is a feature of a larger feature set of offerings from bigger companies.</p>

  • SYNERDATA

    06 November, 2021 - 7:12 pm

    <p>This is why I avoided using One Dive, because of course they would cancel it.</p>

    • SvenJ

      07 November, 2021 - 5:48 pm

      <p>They didn’t cancel it. They are removing support under OSs that are also out of support. That may be arguable for Win 8.1, but still, how far back should they support OSs. People complain when MS is bloated and complicated because they are trying to support decades of legacy, but also when they try to cut bait and move on. </p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    06 November, 2021 - 8:46 pm

    <p>It would seem MSFT is intent upon testing the limits of contract law as they apply to EULAs and the precise meaning of <em>support</em>. NBD for Windows 7, which reached EOS more than a year ago. NBD for Windows 8[.0], which MSFT has been clear became outdated with the arrival of Windows 8.1. OTOH, Windows 8.1 <strong><em>is</em></strong> still in support until early 2023, and I believe OneDrive support was baked into Windows 8.1. No matter how few people may still be using Windows 8.1, it’s hard for me to see how those users <strong><em>wouldn’t</em></strong> have a case of breach of contract against MSFT if MSFT were foolish enough not to support OneDrive integration until EOS.</p><p><br></p><p>That’s one of the wonderful things about the law, at least common law in the US. It applies no matter how few may be affected. Odd that MSFT’s in-house lawyers allowed this particular communication. Maybe they believe reimbursing complaining Windows 8.1 users their license fees may be cheaper in aggregate than continuing to support OneDrive integration in Windows 8.1 for one more year.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      06 November, 2021 - 8:50 pm

      <p>Tangent: using rclone, I can have OneDrive appear as a mounted file system under Linux. NBD using rsync between local physical drives and the mounted OneDrive. Amusing if Linux had more OneDrive functionality than an <strong><em>in-support</em></strong> Windows version in 2022.</p>

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    06 November, 2021 - 9:31 pm

    <p>The hair-splitting here <em>may be</em> that for Windows 8.1, integration was achieved through a OneDrive app, as opposed to being "baked into the OS" (I haven’t used Windows 8.1 in forever, so I’m not 100% that’s how it worked). Anyway, if it was an app — even an in-box app — then they can just pull support for the app without worrying about whether that runs counter to the EULA of the OS. Look at something like Fresh Paint…sure it was designed for Windows 8x, and it integrates with OneDrive, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised if/when it fell out of support.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      06 November, 2021 - 10:46 pm

      <p>See https-colon-double-slash support.microsoft.com / en-us / office/onedrive-desktop-app-for-windows-579d71c9-fbdd-4d6a-80ba-d0fac3920aac. It has FAQ answers at the top. The 3rd is labeled <strong>Remove OneDrive</strong>, which contains this under Windows 8/8.1: <em>OneDrive is built into Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, so you can’t uninstall it like an app.</em> I have little doubt MSFT would be willing to disable it but make it impossible to remove it and free up disk space.</p>

  • winner

    06 November, 2021 - 11:51 pm

    <p>When Paul talks about why people don’t use OneDrive rather than local storage, this sort of thing is why. Also outages. If I need universal access, I use Dropbox.</p>

    • Donte

      07 November, 2021 - 2:28 pm

      <p>If you have sync setup properly you can have a full copy offline. I do this, and its why I buy enough disk space in my computers to handle it. I can have my TB of OneDrive (I only use about 200gig) on any of my computers if I want. Then the local copy works fine if there is a cloud outage. </p>

  • Bart

    Premium Member
    07 November, 2021 - 3:28 am

    <p>To my knowledge, OneDrive is a feature of Office, not so much Windows. So not sure any complaints about OS support will hold up in this case.</p>

    • wunderbar

      Premium Member
      07 November, 2021 - 8:13 pm

      <p>OneDrive Sync was/is built into Widnows 8.x, Windows 10, and Windows 11. It is very much a feature of Windows. OneDrive is not an office product, as it is a cloud storage solution. The paid version is bundled with Office 365, but you can use OneDrive for storage for free without ever using it with an office document. And yes, you can use OneDrive without ever using Windows, but the sync client for offline files is a feature of Windows.</p>

      • IanYates82

        Premium Member
        18 November, 2021 - 6:42 pm

        <p>Part of the reason I stayed with 8.1 for a year or so after 10 came out was precisely because 8.1 had the "placeholders" features for OneDrive whereas 10 required the files to be fully sync’d (I didn’t want to have to pick and choose folders).</p><p>8.1 had it bundled in as an operating system level feature.</p><p>10 had it as a standalone app, and technically it still is, since the OneDrive client is more relying on an OS-level feature which other cloud file providers could rely on too.</p>

  • dftf

    07 November, 2021 - 5:23 am

    <p>A slight tangent, but have they said when <strong>Microsoft Edge </strong>will drop-support for Windows 7?</p><p><br></p><p>Google has recently announced Chrome will continue to receive security-updates only (no new features) on that OS until 15 January 2023 now. I wonder if this will also become true for Edge — the last official-line I can find is that they will end support on 15 Jan 2022, one year earlier…</p>

  • dftf

    07 November, 2021 - 5:26 am

    <p>Also, given Office365 is security-only supported on Windows 7 until Jan 2023, and that OneDrive comes as part of an O365 subscription, does that mean for business-customers with an active ESU subscription OneDrive will continue to work in that scenario?</p><p><br></p><p>I can see many enterprises taking issue if not, as the whole-point of ESU is things continue to work as they did and get security-only updates for the duration of it…</p>

  • LT1 Z51

    Premium Member
    08 November, 2021 - 10:13 am

    <p>I do the Microsoft 365 Admin for my church and the e-mail we got today had the Windows 8.1 date line up with the end of life date next year.</p><p><br></p><p>So perhaps the OneDrive dates vary based on the Windows version with 7 and 8 ending sooner than 8.1</p>

    • LT1 Z51

      Premium Member
      08 November, 2021 - 10:25 am

      <p>Copy of notice:</p><p><br></p><h3>Message Summary</h3><p>Beginning January 1, 2022, we will be aligning the OneDrive Desktop application (sync app) support lifecycle with the Windows support lifecycle.</p><ul><li>Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will be supported until January 10, 2023.</li><li>Windows 8 reached end of support on January 12, 2016.</li></ul><p>If you are not using the OneDrive sync app on any of these operating systems, you can safely ignore this message.</p><p><strong>Key points:</strong></p><ul><li>Timing: We will begin rollout on January 1, 2022 and expect to complete by mid-January.</li><li>Action: review and update impacted machines as appropriate.</li></ul><p><strong>How this affects your organization:</strong></p><p><strong>If you are running the OneDrive sync app on:</strong></p><ul><li>Windows 8.1, you will no longer receive feature updates but will receive security fixes until January 10, 2023.</li><li>Windows 7 and participate in the Extended Security Update (ESU) program, you will continue to receive critical and important security updates (as defined by the Microsoft Security Response Center) until January 10, 2023.</li><li>Windows 8, you will no longer receive updates or fixes as Windows 8 is no longer supported.</li></ul><p><strong>Note</strong>: Extended Security Updates do not include new features, customer-requested non-security updates, or design change requests.</p>

  • ekim

    Premium Member
    08 November, 2021 - 3:11 pm

    <p>Well this is not good news for me. I have a very fringe use case here. I have a Dell Power Edge small business server running Windows Server 2008R2 and setup OneDrive on it years ago to run as a service to help keep my cloud and local storage all synched. I hate it when they make these decisions. What’s next? I can’t run an instance of SQL on my server or IIS? The unspoken part of this is that for many years now the reliability of systems have gotten to the point that they can run for very long periods of time. I realize I’m not talking about a desktop system (which I do keep up to date) but the server does exactly what I need it to do and has done it flawlessly for over a decade. </p>

    • david.thunderbird

      08 November, 2021 - 3:32 pm

      <p>It is time to look elsewhere, MS is following gooGle’s killer ways. Linux makes a great server, also UNIX and BSD. ?</p>

      • ekim

        Premium Member
        08 November, 2021 - 4:05 pm

        <p>Sorry but that isn’t going to happen. Why do I need to ditch my server just because I run a desktop app on it in an unsupported mode?</p>

        • smartin

          Premium Member
          09 November, 2021 - 7:43 pm

          <p>I guess what you have to look out for is that they said they aren’t just dropping support, but that they are going to stop syncing. You’ll have to see if that changes effects you.</p>

  • stimshady

    08 November, 2021 - 3:45 pm

    <p>I’m surprised anyone is using 8.1 or 8 still. Why bother!?</p><p><br></p><p>I guess 7 is installed in some businesses still. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • bleeman

    Premium Member
    08 November, 2021 - 5:35 pm

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I still use Windows 8.1 on my old HP 8" Windows Tablet that I use for solitaire, web surfing etc. No big deal as I wasn’t using OneDrive on it. If a decent 8" Windows Tablet ever shows up again, I’ll phase this guy out as it isn’t very fast, but I like the form factor so I stick with it for now.</span></p>

  • mlgold

    08 November, 2021 - 9:30 pm

    <p>So I still remember articles on how to disable OneDrive. LOL. Now Microsoft has done it for us.</p>

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