Microsoft refused to “bury” Windows 7 — now, the company intends to maintain extended paid support until 2026.
Microsoft ended free extended support for the Windows 7 operating system in January 2020. However, for corporate customers, Microsoft provides paid support for the legacy operating system. Windows 7 Paid Extended Support was originally reported to end in January 2023. However, new circumstances indicate that Microsoft plans to significantly expand the terms of paid support.
Currently, corporate users who have purchased a license for Windows 7 Extended Security Updates continue to receive monthly security updates, and it seems that support for the software platform will not end next year. According to the source, the July security patches KB5015861 and KB5015862 include necessary licenses and ESU keys to extend support after the end of the three-year period. The second renewal guarantees support for another three years, i.e. until January 2026.
As part of the extended support program, updates will receive the following versions:
- Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise
- Windows 7 SP1 Pro
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Embedded Standard 7
- Windows Embedded POS Ready 7
It is worth noting that Windows 7 occupies a significant market share of desktop operating systems. According to Statcounter, the share of the OS is 11.54%, while the latest Windows 11 has only 10.96%.
