Google stops supporting the Google Drive application on Windows 8/8.1 and 32-bit versions of Windows

Microsoft's Windows 8.1 operating system (OS) has finally entered the end of support after nearly a decade of launch. Specifically, from January 10, 2023, the Redmond company will no longer provide Windows 8.1 users with any software updates, technical support or security patches. Therefore, it is not surprising that third-party developers are also preparing to kill their applications on this outdated operating system platform.

Google will stop supporting the Drive desktop app on Windows 8/8.1. The Google Drive app allows synchronization between devices and cloud storage. Users must upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to continue syncing their system with Google Drive.

Specifically, according to Google Drive's release notes, starting in August 2023, Google Drive will no longer support the Drive desktop application on Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2012 and all 32-bit versions of Windows. However, it should be noted that 32-bit Windows users can still access Google Drive through a web browser.

Back in February this year, Google also stopped supporting the Chrome browser on Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 7 platforms. This is consistent with Google's strategy of limiting services on older operating systems. Although Chrome will continue to work on these operating systems after its death, users will no longer receive any of these feature updates and security patches.

According to statistical data from Statcounter, there are currently about 2.59% of PCs worldwide still running Windows 8.1 by the end of December 2022. If your PC is also among them, you can easily upgrade to Get Windows 10 for free using your current Windows 8.1 key. There is also the option of upgrading to Windows 11, but it may be more difficult to do due to the OS's strict system requirements.

Micah Soto

Update 10 June 2024