Software King of the World Microsoft has cut access to its OneDrive desktop app running on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 and will stop syncing files to the cloud from March 2022.
First launched in August 2007, OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) is a file hosting and synchronisation service operating by Microsoft as part of its web version of Office. It enables Microsoft customers to access their files from the cloud on all their devices, from anywhere.
Vole has been doing its best to make life difficult for those who will not upgrade from earlier versions of windows, but cutting access to the cloud will make life difficult for many users.
Microsoft said it will not provide updates for the OneDrive desktop application running on personal Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 devices systems starting 1st January 2022.
In a blog post on its Tech Community forum, the company announced that the move will ensure that the company focuses its resources on new technologies and OS, providing users with the most up-to-date and secure experience.
To avoid any issues with OneDrive, the software firm is advising customers with devices running older OSes to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11. On devices that don’t meet the Windows 10 or Windows 11 upgrade requirements, users can still back up their files to the cloud by manually uploading them to OneDrive on the web.
Users can continue accessing, editing, and sharing their files from onedrive.com or using OneDrive mobile app.
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are in extended support until 10 January 2023, while Windows 8 reached the end of support on 12 January 2016.
A spokesVole said that the support for OneDrive desktop application for business will be aligned with the Windows support lifecycle starting 1st January 2022.
All Windows 10 users can download the OS for free, as long as their PC meets the minimum requirements of a dual-core 64-bit processor, at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of free storage space.
They will need UEFI, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0, Secure Boot capable firmware, and a graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 or later.
