Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge
Nvidia is planning to drop support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 later this year. Nvidia drivers will be exclusively available for Windows 10 in October, with only critical security updates available on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 through September 2024.
Microsoft has already dropped support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, and even the extended support for Windows 8.1 will end in January 2023. “The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS,” reads a support note from Nvidia. “In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, Nvidia will now focus on Windows 10 operating system.”
There are now 1.3 billion active Windows 10 devices, but Windows 7 is still in use in many parts of the world. Statcounter estimates that Windows 7 still accounts for 15 percent of all Windows versions. Microsoft is also expected to launch a new version of Windows, likely to be named Windows 11, in October.
Nvidia’s last driver to officially support these old versions of Windows will be made available on August 31st, with an October 4th release being the first to only support Windows 10.