Windows Server 2012 / R2: Edge gets support until October 10, 2023

[German]A few weeks ago, it was announced that Microsoft had discontinued support for the Edge browser as of January 2023 for Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 and actually Windows Server 2012 / R2 (Edge version 109 is the last supported version). Now Microsoft has announced that support for the Edge browser on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will continue until October 10, 2023 (thanks to blog readers for the tip).

Edge on Windows 7/8.1 out of support

With the end of support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023, Google is also phasing out support for the Chromium browser on those platforms. Consequently, Microsoft has also discontinued support for the Chromium-based version of the Edge browser. I had addressed it in the blog post Microsoft Edge: Version 108.0.1462.46; Reactivate Next button; Windows 7/8.1 support ends in version 110.

Confirmation from Microsoft can be found in this blog post announcing that Microsoft Edge browser version 109 and Webview2 runtime version 109 will be the last versions to support Windows 7 Extended Security Update (ESU) and Windows 8/8.1. The WebView2 SDK versions 1.0.1519.0 and later will also no longer support Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1..

Note: 0patch will ship security fixes for Microsoft Edge on Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2, see 0patch secures Microsoft Edge for Windows 7/Server 2008/2012/R2 until Jan. 2025.

Confusion around Windows Server 2012/R2

Where there was confusion, however, was the discontinuation for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. On this, Microsoft wrote in the blog post:

Microsoft Edge version 109 will be the last supported version on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 (version 110 and later will be unavailable).

Since both server versions still receive support with security updates until October 2023, many administrators wondered what this was all about. On January 17, 2023, Microsoft then clarified the situation and wrote:

Version 109 will receive critical security fixes and fixes for known exploit bugs until October 10, 2023. WebView2 Runtime version 109 will be supported in the same way.

It is true that version 109 remains as the last version for these operating systems. But Microsoft will issue critical vulnerabilities or bugs that are security exploited for Edge 109 on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. The same is true for WebView2 runtime version 109.

In addition, Microsoft will support Internet Explorer 11 on both platforms with security updates until Oct. 10, 2023, the end of support for those operating systems. So, administrators have two browsers available that will still receive security updates. Currently, Microsoft Edge 109 is not really a joy to use because this development branch has to fight with bugs (see article links below).

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