As it turns out, however, Google will support Chrome on Windows 7 longer than planned. It previously said it would stop offering Chrome updates for the OS in 2021, then this year.

Reader mode became available with the release of Chrome version 114, which was released to the public on May 24, 2023. Let’s tell you all about it and show you how to use it.

With the public release of Chrome 110 on February 7th, the browser will no longer support Windows 7 or Windows 8 / 8.1 and the lesser-used Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2.

Also as a tip, on my Windows 8.1, when relaunching into Windows 8 mode Chrome disappeared and refused to reappear. It was running, but not visible as a Metro app or normal app.

Google is experimenting with a text-to-speech feature for Chrome’s reading mode on desktop. You might be able to see it in Chrome Canary, though I wasn’t able to find the feature myself.

Google Chrome will end support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 in February 2023, just a few months from now. The end of support will come with Chrome v110, which should be released in early February.

For another, you can manipulate multiple tabs in Windows 8 only when Chrome is desktop mode. When using Chrome in its default full-screen Windows 8 mode, such functionality doesn't exist.

Even though older Google Chrome versions will work even after support is dropped on Windows 7 / 8.1, Google advises users to upgrade their systems to keep receiving security updates.