Google stops supporting Windows 8

Microsoft’s operating system (OS) Windows 8.1 has finally entered the end of support after nearly a decade of launch. Specifically, from January 10, 2023, the Redmond company will no longer provide Windows 8.1 users with any software updates, technical support or security patches. Therefore, it is not surprising that third-party developers are also preparing to kill their applications on this outdated operating system platform.

Google will stop supporting the Drive desktop app on Windows 8/8.1. The Google Drive app allows for cross-device synchronization and cloud storage. Users must upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to continue syncing their system with Google Drive.

Specifically, according to Google Drive’s release notes, starting August 2023, Google Drive will no longer support the Drive desktop app on Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2012, and all 32-bit versions of Windows. However, it should be noted that 32-bit Windows users can still access Google Drive through a web browser.

Back in February this year, Google also stopped supporting the Chrome browser on Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 7 platforms. This is in line with Google’s strategy of restricting services on older operating systems. While Chrome will continue to work on these operating systems after its death, users will no longer receive any of these feature updates and security patches.

According to statistical data from Statcounter, there are currently about 2.59% of PCs worldwide still running Windows 8.1 as of December 2022. If your PC is also among them, you can easily upgrade to it. Windows 10 for free using your existing Windows 8.1 key. There is also an option to upgrade to Windows 11, but it can be more difficult to do due to the strict system requirements of the OS.