Microsoft just killed support for Windows 7

Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7, one of the company's most successful products, starting Tuesday.

That means Microsoft will no longer patch Windows 7 bugs or offer technical assistance for the OS. And it also means that you should not be running Windows 7 anymore, period.

"Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available," the company wrote in a note to users.

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Windows 7 was released in October 2009, providing a far superior and more stable experience than its predecessor, Vista. By now, however, it's very obsolete (especially since Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10 back in 2015 and 2016). If you were running Windows 7 at the end of 2019, you've probably seen notifications about the end of support. And now, it's really time to move on and switch to Windows 10.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer officially kicks off the worldwide availability of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009 in New York. Credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

"If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses," says Microsoft. "Your PC will continue to start and run, but you will no longer received software updates, including security updates, from Microsoft."

Windows Latest (via Engadget) recently pointed out that it was still technically possible to upgrade to Windows 10 for some users, though you do need a genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license, and obtain a Windows 10 license through Microsoft's Media Creation Tool.