Google Chrome support for Windows 7 was supposed to end summer of 2021, but because of challenges presented by COVID-19, Google has announced an extension.

The search giant revealed Chrome is extending support for Windows 7, including security and productivity benefits, until at least January 15, 2022. That’s a six-month extension from the original target date. Google said it will continue to “evaluate the conditions our enterprise customers are facing, and communicate any additional changes in the future.”

This year has presented a lot of challenges for organizations of all sizes. Facing difficult business and technology decisions, supporting a challenging work environment, and navigating uncertainty are among just a few of the issues IT leaders have faced over the course of 2020.

Google Chrome Windows 7 support

Google came to the decision to extend support after soliciting feedback from enterprise customers. Apparently, a lot of organizations planned to migrate to Windows 10 this year — 21 percent of organizations surveyed, Google said — but those plans were put on hold following the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s one less thing to worry about for everyone, making the transition a little less stressful.

Google said that by extending Chrome support for Windows 7, enterprise customers have “the flexibility they need to continue supporting their workforce.”

On the consumer side, Google recently introduced a massive update to Chrome that features significant speed improvements and other helpful features, like tab searching.