Microsoft has stopped updating Windows 7 and Windows 8 since the beginning of the year. But that doesn’t stop Mozilla Firefox from resisting. The browser has just announced that support on these OS will extend at least until the third quarter of 2024.
Microsoft stopped support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 in January 2023. By stopping updates, the company wants to encourage its users to upgrade their computer to a newer version of the operating system. Logically, the applications take their distance with the two aging OS. Google Chrome 110 is notably the first version of the browser incompatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8.
For its part, Mozilla Firefox does not, however, leave the ship immediately. “We will not be ending support for Windows 7/Windows 8 until Firefox 115 ESR is released, so Firefox 115 ESR will support Windows 7/Windows 8 until at least Q3 2024”says employee Mike Kaply on the Mozilla bug tracking site.
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Windows 7 and 8: until when will Firefox be supported?
The next extended support version of Firefox, Firefox 115 ESR, will be released on July 4, 2023. It will be supported for 15 releases before it passes away. Since Mozilla rolls out a new major release every four weeks, that means Firefox 115 ESR will be live for 60 weeks after its release in July.
Rare browser to continue its support, Mozilla could even extend support for both OS. Everything will depend on the number of users and organizations that will continue to use it on machines running Windows 7 or 8. Proof of the great popularity of the OS on Microsoft’s old system, 13.44% of users Firefox were using the browser on Windows 7, according to a March 20 report.
As a reminder, it is still possible to use these operating systems despite the end of the updates. There are even third-party supports like Acros Security that make it safe to continue using Windows 7 by regularly delivering micro-patches.
