Don’t delay: Chrome ending support for macOS Big Sur shows it’s time to update your Mac

New features are coming to Google Chrome (Image credit: Shutterstock - slyellow)

Google Chrome will soon end support for macOS Big Sur
That leaves only two browsers that work with this operating system
If you’re running macOS Big Sur, it’s time to upgrade

If you’re running macOS Big Sur on your Mac, we’ve got some bad news: soon, only two of the best web browsers will continue to support this operating system. Once that happens, you’ll have to either install macOS Sequoia or change your browser of choice.

The development comes as Google has announced that Chrome version 138 will be the last one to provide updates for macOS Big Sur. After that, Google Chrome will continue to work in macOS Big Sur, but you’ll see a prominent warning message telling you to upgrade. It will also no longer receive updates, which will potentially make it vulnerable to serious security breaches.

Going forward, macOS Monterey will be the minimum requirement for Chrome updates. That’ll happen with Chrome version 139, which is expected to arrive on August 5, 2025.

That will leave Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge as the only popular browsers still supporting macOS Big Sur. There’s no telling how long that support will last, either, so upgrading your Mac is a sensible idea to keep yourself safe.

It’s time to update

Google Chrome on a Laptop — (Image credit: Firmbee.com / Unsplash)

Google Chrome is one of the best browsers around, thanks to its speed and huge range of extensions, so losing out on it will be a blow to anyone still running macOS Big Sur.

As we mentioned above, there are alternatives, but you may not be using them currently, meaning you’ll likely need to switch over your bookmarks and other browsing data.

Apple’s macOS Big Sur update was released in 2020, and the company’s own Safari browser stopped supporting it in July 2023. That alone shows that it’s probably time to install a newer version of macOS on your Mac if you’re still running macOS Big Sur.

Older versions of macOS can be vulnerable to hackers and other threats. Although Apple supports outdated macOS versions for many years, including by rolling out security patches, it does not do so indefinitely.

If possible, you should update your Mac to the latest version of macOS to ensure you have not only the latest security protections but also all the best macOS features.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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It’s time to update

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