Chromium for windows 7

Chromium is an open-source browser project that aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all users to experience the web.

Chrome 109 is the last version to support Windows 7. This repository includes patches that enable Chromium to run on Windows 7 beyond the official end-of-support date, allowing users to continue using the latest features and improvements from the Chromium project.

I have successfully created patches to make Chromium work again on Windows 7 since October 2023 (though I didn’t release them immediately). Now, two years later, I have continued to apply these patches to newer versions of Chromium by making minor adjustments on these patches. However, several growing challenges have forced me to reevaluate the viability of these outdated patches. These challenges include: (1) the presence of minor but difficult-to-fix bugs in the patches, and (2) the increasing difficulty of adapting the patches to newer Chromium versions due to major ongoing changes in Chromium UI code.

Given these challenges, I have decided to spend the next few months reworking the patches in an attempt to create new ones that address the challenges mentioned above. If the rework successfully resolves these challenges, Chromium for windows 7 will be built using the new patches. Otherwise, Chromium for Windows 7 will no longer update. During this rework period, Chromium for windows 7 will continue update but at a slower pace.

Platform Support

Windows 7 SP1 with KB3080149 (for EventSetInformation) and KB4019990 (for d3dcompiler_47.dll) installed, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11.

Building

1. Follow the steps in the instructions on how to get the code until the command autoninja -C out\Default chrome.

   Note: These patches have only been tested on Chromium versions 122.0.6261.34, 122.0.6261.116, 123.0.6312.16, 123.0.6312.32, 124.0.6338.2, 124.0.6341.0, 124.0.6345.0, 124.0.6349.1, 124.0.6352.2, 124.0.6365.1, 124.0.6367.14, 125.0.6384.1, 125.0.6386.0, 125.0.6392.1, 125.0.6394.1, 125.0.6400.1, ..., and may not work on other versions. Therefore, you may need to use git checkout to switch to the corresponding Chromium version.

   Note: Setting target_cpu = "x86" to build the 32-bit version, setting target_cpu = "x64" to build the 64-bit version, and other values for target_cpu are not supported.

   The suggested content in args.gn is:

   is_official_build = true
   is_component_build = false
   is_debug = false
   target_cpu = "x86"
   target_os = "win"
   ffmpeg_branding="Chrome"
   proprietary_codecs=true
   treat_warnings_as_errors = false
   

2. git clone https://github.com/e3kskoy7wqk/Chromium-for-windows-7.git.

3. Replace the string "E:\win7dep\chromium\src" with the location of the Chromium source code in ALL files named 'apply_patches.bat' in this repository.

4. Enter the appropriate directory based on the Chromium version you want to patch (e.g. 123.0.6312.16), then run ALL of the 'apply_patches.bat' files in the directory.

5. autoninja -C out\Default chrome