According to Tech Unwrapped , while Microsoft has ended the support lifecycle of its two operating systems as a way to entice users to switch to the newer Windows 10 or 11, Mozilla still supports Firefox to work with Windows 7 and 8.1 until September 2024. This is part of Mozilla's effort to extend the browser's support on older operating systems, despite rival Google Chrome ending support.
Firefox 115 will be the final version of Firefox for Windows 7 and 8.1
Mozilla’s continued support may be motivated by one or two reasons. The first is to extend the life of computers that can’t be upgraded to Windows 10 or 11. The second is to keep users on versions of Windows that are no longer supported by Chrome or Microsoft, and once they’ve developed a habit of using Firefox as their primary web browser, they’re more likely to continue using it when they move to a more modern Windows.
This means that Firefox users on Windows 7 or 8.1 will continue to receive security updates from Mozilla to enhance their protection. However, when September 2024 comes, users should be advised to switch to newer operating system platforms to be truly secure.
Also in the support document published by Mozilla, the last regular version that supports Windows 7 or 8.1 will be Firefox 115 (current version 113.0.2), with an expected release date of July 4, 2023. After that point, these users will be automatically moved to Firefox's ESR channel, known as the extended support release, which will allow them to receive security updates from Mozilla until September of next year.
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