Firefox is about to drop support for older Windows versions – says if you can’t upgrade, then switch to Linux

Mozilla’s Firefox v115 is the final version to support Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. While the latest version of the popular browser software is Firefox 147 (at least at the time of writing this), the 155 version released back in July 2023 will be retired at the end of February 2026. This means anyone running the aforementioned Windows versions will have to upgrade to Windows 10 or newer.

While this probably isn’t a big blow to most Windows users these days, especially now that Windows 11 is (just about) the most dominant OS, it is still a relevant warning for those with outdated or limited hardware incapable of upgrading. Once February ends, security updates end with it, so “you are encouraged” to upgrade your Windows version – or make the switch to Linux.

Upgrade to Windows 10, 11, or switch to Linux

• Firefox 115 is now the last version supported on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.
• Updates will be delivered through the ESR channel until the end of February 2026.
• After that, users should upgrade their operating system to continue receiving Firefox security and feature updates.

Source: Mozilla Support

Mozilla says it is finally dropping support for these older Windows operating systems since they no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 lost this benefit back in January 2023, but Firefox has continued to support them regardless. At this point, the company says it become “costly for Mozilla and risky for users” to keep doing so. Other popular web browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, have already dropped support, so switching to these won’t suffice.

Or, if your current hardware can’t handle Windows 10 or higher for some reason, you can switch to a Linux-based operating system. The vast majority of Linux distributions come with Firefox as the default browser. Please see the support websites for the version of Linux that you’re interested in.

Source: Mozilla Support

As you can see above, failing a Windows upgrade, you can always switch to Linux. The fact that Firefox is open-source makes it naturally appealing to Linux users compared to corporate-owned alternatives like Google Chrome, so it makes sense why it comes pre-installed on many popular Linux distributions (aka distros). Mozilla’s browser is well supported on Linux. Firefox is also one of the few modern browsers that doesn’t use Google’s Chromium codebase; as a result, you can expect it to use less RAM.

Written by

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is most responsible for reporting on and editing news. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.

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