Nothing lasts forever, and technology is no exception. As shiny and new as your computer was when you first bought it, eventually, developers will drop support for it. There’s no telling when exactly, but at some point, you’ll open an app to find a message that reads something like: “This device does not support the latest version of this app. Please update your hardware.”
That goes for Macs, as well. You might forget that fact, since Apple’s computers tend to stick around for a long time. But inevitably, the shadow of end-of-life policies comes for them, too. If you’re still rocking an older Mac, I have some bad news, specifically if you use Chrome: Google is officially planning its last supported version of the browser.
Google Chrome is dropping support for macOS Monterey
Google quietly announced the news in a post on the Chrome Platform Status site. The company confirmed that Chrome 150 will be the last version of the browser to support macOS 12, otherwise known as macOS Monterey. Once Google eventually releases Chrome 151, users on macOS 12 will not be able to install it, and will forever be stuck on Chrome 150. Google hasn’t said when Chrome 150 will actually drop (we’re currently on Chrome 143), but MacRumors estimates it’ll be sometime in mid-2026, based on past releases.
Before you panic, know there are a couple caveats here. First, Chrome will not stop working on macOS 12 once version 151 drops. You’ll still be able to use Chrome as you always have. In fact, you might not even notice the difference, minus any new features and changes that Google rolls out in future software versions. You will see an alert that your browser is out of date, but it’ll still get you to YouTube, Gmail, and Lifehacker.
This version of macOS is also fairly outdated. Google isn’t just picking last year’s macOS version, or the one before that. We’re currently on macOS 26, which for these purposes, could be read as macOS 16. It’s the fourth version of macOS since Monterey, meaning unless you know your Mac is running macOS 12, there’s a good chance you’re running something that Chrome still supports.
If you aren’t sure, click the Apple in the top-left corner, then choose “About This Mac.” Here, you’ll find the macOS version next to “macOS.”
Security concerns with using Chrome on macOS 12
Let’s say your Mac is running macOS 12. If so, you really should stop using Chrome once version 151 drops. That’s because you’ll no longer receive Google’s latest security updates for the browser, which puts your machine (and its data) at risk.
What do you think so far?
Once Chrome 150 drops, bad actors will look for security vulnerabilities in the code to exploit. Google will do the same, and will patch any it or any third-party researchers find. Once 151 comes out, it’ll include those patches, but Chrome 150 users will be left behind. The risk only grows as new vulnerabilities are discovered, and new versions of Chrome come out.
As such, you have a couple of options if you’re running macOS 12. The first is to update your OS, if you have that choice. If your Mac does support macOS 13 or newer, updating will open you up to new versions of Chrome. Of course, perhaps the reason you’re running macOS 12 is because you cannot update. While that largely affects Macs that are at least 10 years old, there are still plenty of these machines out there. There are alternative ways to update your older Mac, even if Apple won’t let you, such as with OpenCore Legacy Patcher, but that might be too technical a route for some.
The other option here is to stop using Chrome, and switch to a browser that does support macOS 12. Firefox, for example, supports macOS 10.15 or later, and Microsoft Edge fully supports macOS 12 and later. (Safari itself hasn’t been updated on macOS 12 since July 2024.)
It isn’t fun watching your tech grow old, but you don’t need to chuck your Mac just because Chrome will end support this year—even if the newest ones are really good.
Originally published at Lifehacker
