Google to continue support for Chrome on Windows 7 until 2021

Google is set to continue supporting Chrome on Windows 7 for at least 18 months, even as Microsoft officially ends its support for the operating system (OS). 

The sun has set on Windows 7, with Microsoft having finished supporting or providing security updates for the OS on 14 January 2020.

Microsoft has been trying to herd users to Windows 10 since it made the ‘end of life’ announcement last year; however, Google believes some companies may still be running Windows 7 or in mid-transition. As a result, the company has said it will continue to “fully support Chrome on Windows 7 … until at least 15 July 2021”. 

Google believes the move will help organisations maintain productivity while transitioning to a new OS, with Chrome Engineering Director Max Christoff saying that users will be able to “pick up where they left off across operating system versions” in a Google blog post.

“Because your employees are already familiar with browsing in Chrome, they’ll experience less disruption once they do move to working in Windows 10. Even beyond Windows environments, employees can be productive on Chrome across different desktop and mobile platforms, without interruption,” Christoff added.

Google said it would also continue to provide “built-in security capabilities to help keep users safe while on the web” and allow IT teams to manage browser policies across Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems from its Chrome Browser Cloud Management platform. 

Users should note that Google’s security updates are for Chrome only and continuing on Windows 7 may leave them more open to cyber threats.

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