Older Firefox versions are about to lose add-ons, DRM playback, and more

Here is a reminder for Firefox users sticking to some old versions: on March 14, 2025, outdated Firefox releases will lose some of their functionality due to the root certificate expiration (a trusted authority that verifies the authenticity of websites, add-ons and software updates). Affected features include add-ons or extensions, DRM content playback, and more.

This situation affects customers with Firefox versions earlier than 128 and ESR 115.13 on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android (iOS is not affected). It also applies to unsupported operating systems with ESR releases, namely Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 and macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. Newer Firefox releases have a newer root certificate, hence Mozilla's call to update to Firefox 128/ESR 115.13 or newer.

In a support document published in late 2024, Mozilla says the following:

If you don’t update, Firefox features that rely on remote updates will stop working, and your installed add-ons will be disabled. DRM-protected content, such as streaming services, may also stop playing due to failed updates. Additionally, systems dependent on content verification could stop functioning properly.

Although you can continue using Firefox with an expired root certificate, Mozilla recommends not doing so, as you will lose access to important systems and remain vulnerable to unpatched security issues. Note that operating systems that no longer support the primary release channel can still update to a newer ESR release with a valid root certificate.

By the way, Mozilla still supports Firefox ESR 115 on unsupported Windows and macOS versions. It even recently expanded support by another six months.

If you want to read more about the expiration of the root certificate in older Firefox releases, see Mozilla's official support document here. You can also check your Firefox version by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox. By the way, today, Mozilla released a new update for its browser, and you can check out all the details here.

Source

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