The good thing is that the free upgrade option works absolutely fine. And it’s highly recommended to do so, as Windows 8 has already reached its end of support. Can I Update My Windows 8 Device to Windows 8.1 for Free? Windows 10 will enjoy full support until October 14, 2025, so even if your Windows 8/8.1 device is not compatible with Windows 11, you should still upgrade it to Windows 10. Once you are on Windows 10, it’s free to upgrade to Windows 11.

The other hardware requirements include WDDM 2.0 and above in graphics card compatibility, virtualization-based security (VBS) support, Full HD screen resolution (1080p), HDR video support and more.Įven if your Windows 8/8.1 device somehow fulfills these requirements, you cannot upgrade directly to Windows 11 from Windows 8/8.1 without first migrating to Windows 10. It is well known that Microsoft’s free online upgrade offer from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 ended back in 2016, but there are still ways for you to migrate from Windows 8.1 to the latest version of Windows 10. However, for those looking to upgrade to Windows 10, a few options are still available. If you want to continue to use Windows 8 or 8.1, you can – it’s still very much a safe operating system to use.

Should You Upgrade to Windows 10 Before 2023? In fact, these are all points we covered in our guide to securing Windows 7 past its support deadline. In fact, quite a few users are still sticking to Windows 7, and that operating system lost all support back in January 2020.Īs it turns out, losing support does not immediately mean the operating system is a sitting duck in the cybersecurity world.īy deploying a solid antivirus, maintaining a good firewall, and staying safe while online, you can continue using an old operating system. However, that’s not to say that Windows 8.1 will suddenly fall apart once the deadline comes around. Since Microsoft will no longer patch them, it’s a persistent hole in your system’s defenses. The biggest problem you’ll find is the development and discovery of security flaws in the operating system.

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