Notion on Windows 8: Does It Still Work, and What Are Your Options?

Notion doesn’t officially support Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. As of October 2026, the Notion desktop app needs Windows 10 version 21H2 or later, and its browser support only covers recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, none of which still update on Windows 8.

If you’re on an old Windows 8 machine, the honest answer is to use a supported device or upgrade the operating system. The rest of this guide explains why support ended, what may still run, and the official options you have.

What Notion officially supports (as of October 2026)

Notion’s own system requirements page is the source to trust here. It lists:

Windows 8 and 8.1 aren’t on that list. Some third-party copies of Notion’s help article, and some software directories, still show older figures, such as earlier macOS versions or only “Windows 10 or later”. Those look like stale copies. Rely on the page at notion.com, and check it again before you make any purchasing decisions, because these minimums move as Notion updates the app.

Why Windows 8 lost support

Notion doesn’t publish a detailed explanation of each OS cutoff. The wider software ecosystem makes the reason fairly clear, though.

The desktop app depends on Chromium-based technology

Notion’s Windows app is widely understood to be built on Electron, a framework that packages web apps with a copy of Chromium. Notion’s help center doesn’t confirm this, so treat it as context, not an official statement. The Electron 23 release notes state that Electron 23 and later no longer support Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, in line with Chromium’s own deprecation plan starting with Chromium 109. Older Electron versions keep running on those systems, but any app that wants current Electron releases (and their security fixes) has to require Windows 10 or later.

Browsers stopped updating on Windows 8

According to Google’s Chrome support documentation, Chrome 109, released in January 2023, was the last version for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Chrome 110 and later need Windows 10 or newer. Microsoft took the same approach with Edge, making Edge 109 the last version for those systems.

That matters for the browser route. Notion supports the last eight major Chrome releases, and Chrome has shipped many major versions since 109. A Windows 8 PC simply can’t run a Chrome version Notion supports.

Windows 8 itself is out of support

Microsoft ended support for Windows 8 in January 2016 and for Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023, as Malwarebytes reported. No Extended Security Update program was offered for 8.1. The PC still boots and runs, but it no longer gets security patches. That’s a real risk for a machine you use to sign in to work accounts.

Will Notion still open on my Windows 8 PC?

It might, partly. We couldn’t find a reliable source that tests current Notion on Windows 8, so we can’t promise either way. Here’s what’s reasonable to expect:

• The current desktop installer is built for Windows 10 21H2 and later. Expect it to fail to install or run on Windows 8.
• An old desktop app that’s already installed may keep opening for a while. But it’s unsupported, it won’t receive fixes, and Notion can change its servers in ways that break older clients without warning.
• notion.so in Chrome 109 or Edge 109 may load, but it’s unsupported. Features can break as Notion ships updates that expect newer browser engines.

None of these is a setup we’d rely on for work you can’t afford to lose access to.

Your official options

Option 1: Use Notion on a supported device for now

Your workspace lives in Notion’s cloud, not on your PC. Signing in on any supported device gets you the same pages:

1. On a phone or tablet that meets Notion’s minimums (iOS 17.0 or Android 8 as of October 2026), install Notion from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Sign in with the account you normally use.
3. For longer editing sessions, use any computer that runs Windows 10 21H2+, macOS 12+, or a current browser.

Option 2: Upgrade the PC’s operating system

If the hardware can handle it, moving to a supported version of Windows is the cleanest fix. It gets you the desktop app back and restores security updates.

1. Check Microsoft’s official requirements for the Windows version you’re targeting. Microsoft’s lifecycle pages list which versions are currently supported, and these dates change over time.
2. Back up your files before upgrading. Your Notion content is already stored in the cloud, but it’s still worth exporting important workspaces first.
3. Install Windows using Microsoft’s official tools and licensing.
4. Download the Notion desktop app from Notion’s official website and sign in.

Many older Windows 8 machines may not meet the requirements of current Windows releases. If yours doesn’t, the next options are more realistic.

Option 3: Switch the machine to a different supported OS

Notion’s browser support doesn’t depend on Windows. Any operating system that runs a current version of Chrome, Firefox or Edge can use Notion in the browser. This can give an older laptop a second life, but it’s a bigger change. Only take this route if you’re comfortable reinstalling a computer.

Option 4: Replace the computer

If the machine is old enough to have shipped with Windows 8, replacing it may be the most practical choice. Any new Windows PC or Mac sold today will meet Notion’s current minimums.

Before you change anything: export a backup

Whichever route you choose, a backup costs nothing. In Notion, workspace owners can export content from the workspace settings, and anyone can export individual pages from a page’s menu. Keep the export somewhere other than the old PC.

Quick comparison

The bottom line

Windows 8 lost support from Microsoft, from Chrome and Edge, and from the Electron framework years ago. Notion’s current requirements reflect that. Notion lists Windows 10 version 21H2 as the Windows floor as of October 2026. If you want Notion to keep working reliably, move to a supported device or OS instead of relying on an old install. Your data is in the cloud and will be waiting.