Sticking with Windows 7? Mozilla says it will continue to support Firefox for more than a year
There are still a lot of people running Windows 10 rather than upgrading to Windows 11. This is perhaps not astonishing, but there are still a surprising number of users with even older versions of Windows.
With Microsoft no longer supporting Windows 7 or Windows 8.x, sticking with these editions of the operating system is clearly an inadvisable security risk. But for anyone who has no choice, or who simply refuses to move on, Mozilla will continue to offer security updates for Firefox under these versions of Windows until well into 2024, so at least your browser will be safe.
See also:
- Windows 11 gains 'never combined mode' for taskbar buttons and the ability to see Wi-Fi passwords
- Microsoft's fix for camera issues on Surface Pro X and ARM-based PCs is a bodge
- Microsoft warns of intermittent failures when copying and saving files in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Mozilla's announcement sets the company apart from the likes of Google and Microsoft who have already ended support for Chrome and Edge in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Microsoft ended support for these three versions of the operating system back in January, and this makes Mozilla's chosen date for ending the support of Firefox on these editions of Windows all the more surprising.
The company says:
Firefox version 115 will be the last supported Firefox version for users of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. If you are using these versions of Windows you will be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) channel by an application update. Mozilla will provide security updates for these users until September 2024. No security updates will be provided after that date.
Finances are the primary reason for ultimately ending support for the browser. Mozilla explains:
With no official support from Microsoft, maintaining Firefox for obsolete operating systems becomes costly for Mozilla and dangerous for users.
The company stresses that no security updates will be provided after September 2024, and urges users to upgrade to at least Windows 10 to retain support.
Image credit: monticello / depositphotos