The end of support for Windows 7 doesn’t necessarily spell the end of Windows 7. The operating system and many installed programs can still be used. The termination of any extended support for the operating system means just that: Microsoft no longer helps users of Windows 7. This includes any assistance services, updates, or patches. Most importantly, the company will no longer close security gaps.
But just because you can continue to use Windows 7 doesn’t mean you should. Usage of the operating system could be risky because Microsoft will continue to provide security updates via the ESU program. In this way, security gaps can be deduced for unsupported versions of Windows 7. Cyber criminals may then be able to detect existing weaknesses in the operating system. In fact, something similar happened with Windows XP. The software was considered safe and stable, but once it was no longer supported, fraudsters were able to detect and abuse security gaps.
Over time, however, Windows 7 will become unusable. The end of support is already taken as an opportunity by software developers to no longer make their products compatible with Windows 7. For example, Google announced that Chrome would only continue to support Windows 7 until July 15, 2021. Other software developers are likely to follow suit.