Google Drops macOS Monterey Support With Chrome 151 Rollout

Google began rolling out Chrome 151 to its stable channel this week, cutting off browser updates for Mac users still running macOS 12 Monterey.

Chrome 150 — currently completing its own rollout carrying 382 Security Fixes — is now the last version Monterey users will ever receive, the company confirmed.

What Google Said

Google announced in January that the split was coming. “Chrome 150 is the last version of Chrome that will support macOS 12 (Monterey),” the company said. “Chrome 151 is the first version of Chrome that requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.”

With Chrome 151 now entering stable, that cutoff takes effect.

What Changes — and What Doesn’t

Chrome will not stop functioning on Monterey machines. Users already on Chrome 150 can still browse, sync bookmarks, and Access Their Google accounts as before.

What stops is the update cycle. Monterey devices will receive no further security patches, bug fixes, performance improvements, or new features beyond Chrome 150.

That distinction matters. An unpatched browser does not immediately become inoperable, but it grows more exposed over time as security vulnerabilities go unaddressed.

Why Google Made the Move

Google periodically raises Chrome’s minimum system requirements to shed compatibility overhead from aging platforms. Dropping older operating systems lets engineers use newer OS-level APIs — the programming interfaces that let apps communicate with a device’s hardware and system software — along with modern security frameworks without sustaining parallel codebases.

Chrome 151 sets macOS 13 Ventura as its new floor. That requirement extends to Sonoma, Sequoia, and all future supported macOS versions.

Options for Affected Users

Mac owners whose hardware supports Ventura or newer can upgrade macOS and resume receiving Chrome updates immediately.

Users whose machines cannot run Ventura are effectively locked to Chrome 150. Their browser remains usable but will fall further behind as Google ships new features and patches to everyone else.

Apple lists Ventura-compatible hardware on its support site. Macs from 2017 or later generally qualify, though specific models vary.

macOS Monterey launched in October 2021 and supports Macs dating back to 2015. Apple itself ended security updates for Monterey in late 2024, leaving the operating system without active vendor support before Google’s Chrome cutoff arrived.