Nvidia Will Cease Support of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 Later This Year
Later this year, Nvidia plans to cease support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. New drivers will only appear for Windows 10.
Microsoft isn't alone in ending support for older versions of Windows. One of the world's largest GPU manufacturers, Nvidia, announced that it plans to stop releasing drivers for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. The last "normal" update for these versions of the popular operating system is expected to be released on August 31 - then, until September 2024, only critical security updates will be published.
The company informed about its plans in a short note posted on its official website. It also contains an explanation for such a decision.
"The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS. In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, NVIDIA will now focus on Windows 10 operating system."
Nvidia's move is hardly surprising - according to data from Statcounter 78.89% of computers in the world run on Windows 10 (about 1.3 billion). And although Windows 7 is still popular in some parts of the globe (15.52%), even Microsoft has stopped supporting it (as well as Win 8; 8.1. is to receive updates until January 2023). In addition, the Redmond giant is planning to release a new version of its operating system, which will probably be numbered 11.
From the perspective of PC gamers, not much will change - After all, 93 percent of Steam users use Windows 10 (and only 2 percent Win 7). The first Nvidia driver to be released without support for old operating systems should be available on October 4, 2021.
