Chrome may be the world’s most popular web browser, but Google has announced it will end Chrome support for millions of Windows users early next year.
Google Chome support is ending for Windows 7 and 8/8.1 in February 2023
In a new blog post, Google confirmed, “We’re ending support for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Chrome 110 (tentatively scheduled for release on February 7th, 2023) is the last version of Chrome that will work on these versions of Windows. You’ll need to ensure your device is running Windows 10 or later to continue receiving future Chrome releases.”
Google is making this change because it aligns with Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows 7 extended security updates and extended support for Windows 8.1 updates on January 10, 2023. In many ways, this makes sense. Microsoft is backing away from these platforms, and they will become considerably less stable as a result.
That said, both platforms still account for over 13% of Windows users worldwide, according to Statcounter. Many businesses and state and federal agencies are also locked into these platforms worldwide.
So if you can’t/won’t upgrade, challenging times lie ahead.
___
Follow Gordon on Facebook
More on Forbes
MORE FROM FORBESIs It Time To Quit Google Chrome?By Gordon Kelly