Mainstream browsers have long since stopped supporting Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, but there's one browser that refuses to abandon these dead versions of Windows. Mozilla continues to release security updates for Firefox 115 ESR on unsupported versions of Windows, and they have no plans to stop anytime soon.
In early 2023, Mozilla announced plans to end Firefox updates on Windows 7 in September 2024. However, when September 2024 rolled around, Mozilla decided to continue Firefox 115 ESR updates for another six months, citing that there were still enough Firefox users on Windows 7 to justify the extended support. Firefox will now receive another half-year of security updates.
According to the official release schedule, Firefox 115 ESR will continue to receive updates until September 2025. The extended support policy may even be extended further, as Mozilla has stated that it will reevaluate this decision in August 2025:
We have decided to extend support for ESR 115 on Windows 7-8.1 and macOS 10.12-10.14 only until September 2025. We will re-evaluate this decision in August 2025 and communicate any updates regarding the end of support for ESR 115 at that time.
Note that these changes only apply to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. Firefox users on more modern, supported operating systems can move to newer versions. Currently, Mozilla offers version 135 on the regular release channel and version 128 on the Extended Support Release (ESR) channel. You can download Firefox ESR from the official website.
Mozilla originally planned to end support for Windows 7-8.1 in September 2024, but changed plans. Mozilla now provides two ESR releases: 115 for unsupported operating systems, and 128 for Windows 10 and later. Removing Windows 7 support from Firefox 116 and later allows Mozilla to clean up the codebase and remove the burden of maintaining newer libraries that no longer support pre-Windows 10 releases.
But on the other hand, Firefox still has "a lot of users on Windows 7, and the Windows 7 market share itself is still quite large. Therefore, how long to maintain updates is something Mozilla needs to consider carefully. According to a comment from a Firefox engineer, Mozilla "hopes to have more official announcements on this issue in the near future".
For reference, Microsoft, Google, and other browsers have stopped supporting their browsers on versions of Windows prior to Windows 10 since January 2023. Chromium's end of support on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 has forced other developers, such as Valve and Steam, to stop updating their software as well.
In reality, running an unsupported browser on a version of Windows that’s already dead isn’t all that scary. There are still plenty of people using Windows XP in 2022. But accessing the modern internet with software that no longer receives security updates isn’t a good idea. Those who choose to stick with Windows 7 should be prepared to say goodbye to their beloved operating system and move to a supported operating system with longer-term supported browsers.
Windows 11 version 21H2 is one of the major original releases of Windows 11 that began rolling out globally on October 4, 2021.
The year 2023 saw Microsoft betting heavily on artificial intelligence and its partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.
Microsoft introduced Bluetooth LE (low energy) Audio support with Windows 11 22H2 KB5026446 (build 22621.1778), also known as Moment 3, in May 2023.
After keeping things the same for years, the Sticky Note update in mid-2024 changed the game.
Today, Microsoft officially announced the general availability of Windows Server 2025 along with System Center 2025.
There's always something incredibly cool about the nostalgic user interface of 90s versions of Windows.
More than three years ago, when Microsoft announced Windows 11, the operating system immediately caused a lot of controversy.
The October 2024 report provides an overview of Windows 11's market share compared to other versions of Windows.
Microsoft is said to be getting closer to launching its first foldable smartphone when it was granted a patent for a foldable phone with the ability to fold 360 degrees but without creating wrinkles on the screen on October 1.
In a new post on its Tech Community website, Microsoft has announced plans to discontinue WSUS driver synchronization in favor of its latest cloud-based driver services.
Windows Photo Viewer was first released alongside Windows XP and has quickly become one of the most frequently used tools on Windows.
The latest previews of Windows 11 that Microsoft released this week include an improved About section in the Settings app, where users can get more information about the hardware inside their computer.
To address common issues faced by PC gamers, Microsoft has finally made the Windows operating system easier to navigate with an Xbox controller.
The April security updates for Windows 11 silently created a new empty folder on the C drive.
Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI since 2019, although the Redmond-based software giant is by no means the primary investor in the innovative AI startup.
Error code 0xc0000098 in Windows causes a blue screen error on startup. The ACPI.sys driver is often to blame, especially on unsupported versions of Windows 11 like 23H2 or 22H2 or Windows 10.
In some cases, sometimes you start your computer in Safe Mode and the computer freezes. So how to fix the error in this case, please refer to the article below of WebTech360.
Snipping Tool is a powerful photo and video capture tool on Windows. However, this tool sometimes has some errors, such as constantly displaying on the screen.
Every network has a router to access the Internet, but not everyone knows how to make the router work better. In this article, we will introduce some router tips to help speed up the wireless connection in the network.
If the results seem slower than expected, don't be too quick to blame your ISP - mistakes when performing the test can skew your numbers.
In the article below, we will introduce and guide you to learn about the concept of QoS - Quality of Service on router devices.
Windows has a built-in Credential Manager, but it's not what you think it is—and certainly not a replacement for a password manager.
Microsoft charges for its official codecs and doesn't include them in Windows 10. However, you can get them for free without pulling out your credit card and spending $0.99.
While having trouble accessing files and folders can be frustrating, don't panic—with a few simple tweaks, you can regain access to your system.
After creating a USB boot to install Windows, users should check the USB boot's performance to see if it was created successfully or not.
Although Windows Storage Sense efficiently deletes temporary files, some types of data are permanent and continue to accumulate.
You can turn off Windows 11 background apps to optimize performance, save battery and reduce RAM consumption.
When a computer, mobile device, or printer tries to connect to a Microsoft Windows computer over a network, for example, the error message network path was not found — Error 0x80070035 may appear.
We can block Internet access for any application or software on the computer, while other programs can still access the network. The following article will guide readers on how to disable Internet access for software and applications on Windows.
Instead of paying $30 for a year of security updates, keep Windows 10 safe until 2030 with this simple solution.
