Firefox is finally ending support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, and urges users to upgrade or switch to Linux

Firefox is finally ending support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, and urges users to upgrade or switch to Linux | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Operating Systems Rufus developers have been blocked from downloading Windows ISOs, and believe there to be ‘active intentional involvement from Microsoft’ Browsers ‘This marks a significant step towards addressing anticompetitive behaviors’: Following a complaint from Opera, antitrust regulator launches an investigation into Microsoft Edge Motherboards Fortnite adds more anti-cheat requirements, including Secure Boot and TPM, so it might be time to get tinkering in that BIOS Operating Systems Windows 11 is getting a handy internet speed test built right into the taskbar Windows Thanks to Microsoft adding all those extra features to Notepad, it now unfortunately sports one more: An exploitation vulnerability with a high security rating Processors AMD’s desktop CPU market share climbs almost 10% from last year, according to research, but it still trails behind Intel in every sector Linux I’m brave enough to say it: Linux is good now, and if you want to feel like you actually own your PC, make 2026 the year of Linux on (your) desktop RPG Square Enix says a ‘new version’ of Final Fantasy 7 is coming to Steam, but doesn’t say what’s actually new or when it’s coming Gaming Industry Google killed support for the Dreamcast web browser after 25 years Linux Nvidia GeForce Now is officially on Linux, and after testing it I’m equal parts impressed and optimistic for the future of non-Windows gaming Windows Microsoft confirms that its new AI agent in Windows 11 hallucinates like every other chatbot and poses security risks to users Windows Microsoft reports ‘an issue in which devices are failing to boot’ after downloading the latest update Linux 2025 might have been the year for Linux gaming, but there’s still a way to go until I switch from Windows Platforms Hooray! Linux is GOG’s ‘next major frontier’. Oh no! It wants to ‘Actively use and promote AI-assisted development tools’ Platforms Steam Proton will no longer forget the entire reason it exists if you have a humungous library, as of the most recent client beta PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Software Browsers Firefox is finally ending support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, and urges users to upgrade or switch to Linux News By James Bentley published 19 February 2026 Mozilla notes, “most browsers, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, have already ended support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.” When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter If you’re somehow still on Windows 7 and use Firefox, I have some bad news. You will want to update your OS soon. That’s according to the latest Mozilla post, which confirms “Firefox version 115 is the last supported Firefox version for users of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.” (via TechSpot).Mozilla technically started ending support way back in January 2023, but users have been able to access the Extended Support Release (ESR) for critical security updates until now. The ESR will only receive updates until the end of February.This new update confirms that users won’t even receive those security updates anymore. Naturally, being without security updates makes you more vulnerable to bad actors. Mozilla says, “You are strongly encouraged to upgrade to a supported Microsoft Windows version.” Related articles Reports of Windows 10’s death appear to have been greatly exaggerated as 29% of Steam users still cling on Microsoft says Windows 11 now has one billion users, ‘up 45% year-over-year’, which is probably no surprise after Windows 10 was put out to pasture An absolute madman has recreated the Windows 8 UI—for Linux It is worth noting that, as Mozilla states, “Most browsers, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, have already ended support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.” Windows 7 was originally released way back in 2009, so it’s not a major surprise to think it wouldn’t be supported.Firefox reportedly only ended support for 2001 OS Windows XP (and Windows Vista) in 2023, which means a pretty impressive 19 years of support (accounting for Firefox 1.0 releasing in 2004). (Image credit: Microsoft)Despite the op