Microsoft edge browser support for windows 7 and 8.1 is ending: What should you do?

Microsoft Edge on Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 will no longer be supported by Microsoft starting in January 2023.

The company will release the Microsoft Edge version 109 and Web View2 runtime version on January 12, 2023, as per the blog post shared by the company. However, Microsoft Edge, Webview2 Runtime, and earlier 109 versions will continue to function on these operating systems while losing all the new updates, such as new features, future security upgrades, or bug patches.

Microsoft Edge browser version 109 and Webview2 Runtime version 109 will, respectively, be the last versions to support these operating systems, as per the revelation of the tech behemoth. Moreover, as notified by the corporation, it will withdraw support for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 in WebView2 SDK versions 1.0.1519.0 and higher.

Additionally, Microsoft also disclosed that Microsoft Edge 109 would be the final version supported on Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. But Microsoft continues to actively support Internet Explorer 11 on these operating systems.

Furthermore, the leading company has also quit assisting Edge WebView2 for both operating systems. For those who are new to the term, Edge WebView2 is a developer control for including web content in applications. Hence, people who are still using the Edge browser for daily work on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 need to upgrade to the most recent version of Windows. 

Additionally, Google, the search engine, is also ending support for Google Chrome in Windows 7. Therefore, users who are still using an outdated version of Windows are advised to update to the latest released version, as Google Chrome will no longer support Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 editions, according to Microsoft's announcement in the official blog.