Windows 7 Extended Security Update and Windows 8.1 end of support is coming up soon on January 10, 2023. Not only that, both Google Chrome will no longer officially support these operating systems as well, leaving only Microsoft Edge version 109 and WebView2 Runtime version 109 will still support the old operating systems going forward.
Microsoft Edge and WebView2 Runtime will stop supporting Windows 7/8.1
Now, new updates are coming for Edge version 109 and WebView2 Runtime version 109 in the week of January 12, 2023, according to Microsoft, but these new versions will not be released for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The current releases will be the last version for the operating systems mentioned here, along with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2.
This end-of-support timeline applies to both the Evergreen and Fixed versions of the WebView2 Runtime.
How to get newer versions of Microsoft Edge and WebView 2 Runtime?
The best thing to do is to upgrade to either Windows 10 or Windows 11. This may not be an easy thing to do for developers and those in the enterprise, but for security reasons along with other performance issues, upgrading is the only way to ensure things keep moving in the right direction.
If you do not wish to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 right now, then at least Microsoft Edge version 109 and WebView2 Runtime version 109 are still supported but do not expect any security updates at any time, so always keep that in mind if you are conscious about protecting your device.
