Firefox 115 now available, final version for Windows 7 and 8 – News Block

It hasn’t been long since the last major update to Firefox, but just in time, Firefox 115 is already rolling out. The new update has the usual mix of new features and improvements, but it’s also the end of the road for older versions of Windows.

Firefox 115 doesn’t have any significant new features, like the new Picture-in-Picture experience introduced in version 113, but there are many smaller changes that add up to make the browser even better. Hardware video decoding is now enabled for Linux PCs with Intel graphics cards, undo and redo actions are now available in password fields, and the tab manager dropdown menu now has close buttons. The Android browser also has a new search button in the address bar to quickly switch between search engines and access your bookmarks and browser history.

Mozilla is also improving the Firefox Browser Migration Tool, which is used to transfer data from other web browsers to the Firefox profile. The new Migration Assistant, which rolled out slowly in Firefox 114, is now fully enabled by default. Firefox now also supports importing payment methods from Chrome-based browsers.

Firefox 115 will be the final update for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, but Mozilla won’t phase out those operating systems entirely yet. PCs on those versions of Windows will be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) channel, which is updated less frequently but still receives security fixes as Mozilla rolls them out to other versions of Firefox. Mozilla promises to keep Firefox 115 ESR patched with security updates until September 2024.

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and most other Chromium-based browsers dropped support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 earlier this year. That left Firefox as the last remaining major browser that still supports versions of Windows prior to Windows 10. Mozilla has committed to another year of security fixes, but after that, there won’t be a secure way to browse the web in older versions. from Windows prior to 10. On a related note, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 a year later, in October 2025. However, it’s unclear when web browsers will start requiring Windows 11 as a minimum.

How to update Firefox

Firefox will automatically install the update on your computer, phone, or tablet when it becomes available. To immediately check for and install available updates, click the menu icon at the top right of your browser’s toolbar and select “About Firefox.”

You can download Firefox from the official Mozilla website, Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Microsoft Store.

Source: Mozilla (1, 2, 3)