Edge browser users still on PCs running older versions of Windows will have to get used to the idea of updating their computer…or switching browsers!
Microsoft has announced the end of support for Edge in Windows 7 and in Windows 8/8.1 after the launch of version 109 of the browser on January 12. This version of the software and the previous ones will continue to work on these older versions of the operating system, of course, on the other hand, the publisher warns that these versions of Edge will no longer receive updates or patches. To put it another way, Edge users on Windows 7 and 8/8.1 will no longer be protected from possible vulnerabilities.
Windows 10 mandatory with Edge
To continue surfing the web with Edge on PCs equipped with Windows 7 and 8/8.1 in full security, it will be necessary to update computers with Windows 10 as a minimum. Microsoft is also urging developers to stop supporting these older versions of Windows in order to push their users to install Windows 10.
According to Statcounter, Windows 8.1 only accounts for 2.53% of the market, but Windows 7 is still popular, representing 1 in 10 Windows PCs in circulation. That’s still a lot of computers! And these users will not be able to turn to Chrome: Google announced last October that its own browser would end support for Windows 7 and 8.1 at the beginning of 2023. Chrome 110, expected on February 7, will require Windows 10. Older versions of Chrome will continue to work, but beware of security vulnerabilities that will no longer be patched.
Windows 7 was launched in 2009, Microsoft pulled the curtain in January 2020 for individuals while continuing an Extended Security Update (ESU) program, which therefore ends on January 10, 2023. The first steps of Windows 8 began in October 2012, the OS was ceased in early 2016.