Steam Ends Support for Windows 7/8/8.1 & How to Upgrade

Steam no longer supports Windows 7, 8, and 8.1: Upgrade Guide

Since January 1, 2024, Steam has stopped supporting Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, and users must upgrade to Windows 10 or 11. This article will explain the reasons, explain the impact after discontinuing support, and provide upgrade guides.

Steam is a digital game distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation, which supports Windows 7 and above, Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and above, SteamOS and Linux Ubuntu 12.04 and above. However, it has become a fact that Steam stops support for Windows 7/8/8.1.

Reasons and impacts of Steam stopping support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1

In early 2023, Valve announced that it would stop supporting Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. This decision was mainly because Google Chrome no longer supports these legacy Windows systems, and Steam's core functionality relies on embedded Chrome versions. In addition, future Steam clients will rely on features and security updates provided only by Windows 10 and above.

After the support is stopped, Steam will no longer provide technical support for older Windows systems, nor will it guarantee the availability of Steam on these systems. While Steam clients and games may still run in the near term, the lack of security updates puts the system at risk of malware and cyber attacks.

Response after stopping support

To avoid security risks, Valve recommends that users upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 as soon as possible. Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows 7 and 8.1 on January 14, 2020 and January 10, 2023, respectively, which are extremely vulnerable to attacks when connected to the Internet.

How to upgrade to Windows 10/11

Upgrading to Windows 10 or 11 is the best way to ensure Steam and games are working properly. But it should be noted that you cannot upgrade from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 to Windows 10/11 for free, and you need to purchase a new system license. In addition, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, and Windows 11 has high hardware requirements that older computers may not be able to meet.

For users with limited budgets, consider installing Windows 10 on an old computer:

Step 1: Back up important files in disk C. It is recommended to use reliable backup software, such as MiniTool ShadowMaker, to backup and restore files, folders, disks, or partitions.

Step 2: Download the Windows 10 ISO image file.

Step 3: Use Rufus and other tools to burn the ISO image to the USB flash drive and create the boot disk.

Step 4: Change the BIOS startup sequence and start the old computer from the USB drive.

Step 5: Follow the screen prompts to complete the installation of Windows 10.

Summarize

Steam has stopped supporting Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. Continuing to use these legacy systems may affect performance and security. It is recommended to upgrade to Windows 10 or purchase a new computer that supports Windows 11 to ensure Steam is running properly.

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