According to a new post on Firefox"s bug tracker website, Mozilla does not plan to end Firefox support on Windows 7 and 8.1 any time soon. Initially, Mozilla Foundation considered pulling the plug for the browser on the now-dead operating system in August 2023, but the revised plans now give users much more time.
Mike Kaply, a Mozilla employee, has revealed that Firefox 115 ESR (due to arrive on July 4, 2023) will support Windows 7 and 8.1. Moreover, the browser will receive security updates and fixes until at least Q3 2024. Furthermore, the development team has yet to pick a specific date to stop supporting Firefox on outdated operating systems.
In November 2022, Mozilla said Firefox still has "a lot of users on Windows 7," and keeping their test machines running for a little longer would not make a big difference. Of course, sticking to a now-outdated operating system with no security updates is a questionable decision. However, it is not all black and white, and some users cannot move to Windows 10 or 11. Therefore, it is still good to see developers giving those unable to upgrade a supported and up-to-date mainstream browser.
Unlike Mozilla, Google and Microsoft have already ended Chrome and Edge support on Windows 7 and 8.1. That, in turn, threw a wrench into apps relying on Chromium. For example, Valve recently announced that Steam would stop working on Windows 7 and 8.1 in January 2024.