In brief: Microsoft is scheduled to put another of its legacy operating systems out to pasture in the near future. Anyone still using the aging OS needs to start getting serious about transitioning to a current, in-service release.

Windows 8.1 launched in late 2013 – just one year after Microsoft unleashed Windows 8 – in an attempt to rectify some of the early issues with its flagship OS. Most found it did offer a better experience than the original but still, Microsoft wasted little time in prepping and rolling out its successor – Windows 10 – in the summer of 2015.

Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 8.1 on January 9, 2018, and is planning to suspend extended support on January 10, 2023. Once this happens, Microsoft will no longer provide software updates and technical assistance for the OS. There will be no extended security update program for Windows 8.1 meaning anyone running it after the cutoff date will be exposed to future security risks.

https://www.techspot.com/news/96724-windows-81-extended-support-ending-soon.html