From an article in Engadget…
Microsoft is trying to nudge more people toward newer Windows versions. As Thurott reports, Microsoft has warned that the OneDrive desktop app will stop syncing with personal Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 computers on March 1st, 2022. The software will no longer receive updates from January 1st onward. You can still use the web to manually transfer files, but that’s clearly a hassle if you routinely access cloud files from an older PC.
Microsoft wants to move people away from their older operating systems. I get that. Doing something like this isn’t a gentle persuasion or even a soft nudge if those folks rely on One Drive. This is a shove.
The basic human reaction when someone is “told” to do something is to rebel against it. People don’t like being forced to do anything.
I completely understand that users need to keep moving forward and Microsoft wants to get out of the business of supporting unsafe legacy applications.
Someone at Microsoft probably looked at how many users were on version 7 or 8 and using On Drive and thought this would be a significant chunk of users to “nudge.”
This could also backfire. There are other storage options out there and all one needs to do is to set up a Dropbox account. They don’t care what version of Windows you are running.
I applaud Microsoft for shedding the idea that “you must support legacy software until your dying breath.” This is a big step away from that position.
