When it comes to web browsers on Windows, it’s Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox that reign. But there is one browser badass many are missing: Safari for Windows. Safari for Windows was first launched by Apple in 2007 and had been aimed squarely at replacing Internet Explorer and Firefox. But Apple abandoned its support in 2012, so most assumed Safari didn’t matter to Windows users.
Although it has been discontinued, Safari for Windows may still be useful for some tasks like web development, cross-browser testing, and comparison of web technologies over time. This article details Safari’s Windows history, features, its discontinuation, and why it still matters to this day.
A Short History of Safari for Windows
Apple unveiled Safari for Windows in June 2007, at the first iPhone launch. The objective was simple enough: to spread Apple’s ecosystem and launch the WebKit browser engine (which was behind Safari) onto Windows PCs.
Safari 3 was the first to offer download support for Windows XP and Windows Vista, boasting faster speeds and better rendering than Internet Explorer 7. Safari had been marketed by Apple, as the Windows fastest web browser at the time, with better JavaScript executors, web page rendering, etc.
Important Features of Safari for Windows
Safari for Windows came with quite a few differentiating features when the browser was actively developed:
- Incredible Fast WebKit Engine – Safari was built upon WebKit, so it was one of the fastest browsers when it came to rendering HTML and JavaScript.
- Reader Mode – This feature enables distraction-free reading by eliminating ads and extraneous elements from web pages.
- Cover Flow History & Bookmarks — Browse your history and saved bookmarks in a visual ‘cover flow’ fashion.
- Private Browsing – This was introduced to Safari long before Incognito Mode became a fashion statement and is intended to stop cookies and history from being tracked.
- Top Sites View – Safari showed a square grid of preferred websites making it simple to navigate.
- Low Impact on Your Battery – Safari was designed to use less power than other browsers, especially on MacBooks and other Apple devices.
Safari for Windows: What Went Wrong?
Despite its initial hope, Safari for Windows was never a success. Apple ended support around 2012, and Safari 5.1.7 was the last supported version for Windows.
There were various reasons for its downfall:
- Low Adoption Rate – Safari was an additional choice when Windows users were already familiar with Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
- Security Vulnerabilities – After Windows Safari was never again given updates, it turned into a target for security threats and exploits.
- The Shift – Apple decided to work on its ecosystem, keeping Safari only on macOS and iOS.
- WebKit vs. Blink Engine – Google’s Blink engine, which is a fork of WebKit, became dominant, which resulted in much less incentive for Apple to keep Safari for Windows up and running.
Safari for Windows in 2025
While Safari on Windows is substantially outdated, it will still prove its worth in specific areas like web development, testing, and research.
Cross Browser Testing
Developers and QA testers to ensure that websites work across browsers are necessary, including Safari. As Safari on macOS still uses WebKit, developers sometimes depend on Safari for Windows (5.1.7) to check for compatibility issues.
While most modern testing tools today, such as LambdaTest, provide the option to emulate Safari on Windows, some developers prefer a local setup when it comes to debugging.
LambdaTest is an AI-native test execution and orchestration platform that allows QA teams to perform manual and automated testing at scale over 3000+ environments.
With LambdaTest, users can:
- Access 3000+ Environments — Test Safari in multiple versions, operating systems, and resolutions.
- Run Cloud-based Tests – Run the tests on the virtual macOS machines, negating the need to install anything locally
- Utilize AI-Driven Testing – Optimize test execution with ingenious orchestration and parallel testing.
- Check Cross-Browser Compatibility – Test websites on Safari (Windows) and the latest macOS versions
LambdaTest can be a lifesaver for Windows users who need to test Safari, ensuring cross-browser compatibility and a seamless web experience.
Legacy Web Technology
There has been a tremendous evolution of web technologies over the last decade. However, some legacy sites and old enterprise applications were designed to work specifically with Safari for Windows. Using Safari 5.1.7 on Windows gives a glimpse of how websites ran in the past.
Academic and Research Uses
Safari for Windows is an important reference for researchers who study web browser evolution. Exploring its UI/UX, rendering engine, and performance metrics can provide a comparative study of past web standards vs. present innovations.
Browser Evolution: Comparison with the Old Ones
Safari for Windows provides the following comparisons between old and new browser support:
- Optimizations in the JavaScript engines
- Next Steps — More Web Security Features
- Evolution of UI/UX through Time
Is It Possible To Download And Use Safari For Windows?
Safari 5.1.7 for Windows is still downloadable from third-party sites, even if Apple has removed it from its servers and has dropped official support, updates, and security patches for it. But use caution — unofficial downloads can harbor malware or security flaws.
Safari for Windows Today: The Risks of Using It
Here Is What You Should Know — Before You Use Safari 5.1.7 on Windows
- Security Vulnerabilities – As Safari for Windows hasn’t been updated since 2012, it lacks modern security patches and is, thus, unsafe for daily browsing.
- Not Compatible with Modern Websites – since far too many modern websites depend on technologies that Safari 5.1.7 can’t deal with, users experience broken rendering.
- No Extensions & No Developer Support – Safari 5.1.7 does not ship with modern browser extensions or developer tools like Chrome or Firefox.
Alternative Ways to Test Safari on Windows
If you are still using the 10+-year-old Safari 5.1.7, here are safe alternatives:
- Test on Cloud Testing Platforms – Services like LambdaTest allow testing Safari on a virtual macOS environment; there is no need for a Mac.
- Set up a macOS Virtual Machine – By using Windows software (such as VirtualBox), create a macOS VM and run the latest version of Safari.
- Test on Webkit-based Browsers – As Safari is built on Webkit, you can test on Webkit-based browsers (like GNOME Web) to get similar results.
How Does Safari Stack Up Against Modern Browsers?
In today’s competitive browser landscape, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox dominate the market, offering advanced features, high-speed performance, and robust security. Meanwhile, Apple’s Safari, known for its efficiency and seamless macOS/iOS integration, continues to evolve. But how does Safari compare to modern browsers in terms of speed, privacy, compatibility, and developer tools? This comparison explores Safari’s strengths and weaknesses, analyzing whether it still holds up against today’s top contenders or if it falls behind in the rapidly changing web ecosystem.
Performance & Speed
The last Safari for Windows version (5.1.7) was among the fastest browsers back in its day, but this can no longer be compared to modern-day browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Modern browsers provide faster JavaScript engines multi-threaded processing, and are simply worlds better than the browsers of yore.
Security & Privacy
More modern browsers offer features such as HTTPS enforcement, phishing protection, and advanced tracking prevention—things that aren’t available in Safari 5.1.7 because it doesn’t receive security updates.
Developer Tools
Although Safari for Windows extensively resembles Safari for macOS, it has no modern champions like Chrome DevTools or Firefox Developer Edition, so it is not of much use to web developers.
Extension Support
Safari had been designed to be lightweight and not cluttered down a run-time environment, but even a small amount of extensions could certainly help with the usability, alas, Safari for Windows supports very few extensions.
Safari for Windows in 2025: Should You Use It?
Officially discontinued by Apple in 2012, Safari for Windows was once considered a viable alternative to Internet Explorer and Firefox. While no longer in circulation, some users still navigate it for web development, test legacy software, and more. But Safari for Windows is of any practical use in 2025 — when modern browsers provide better performance, security, and compatibility? In this post, we’ll continue looking at whether or not Safari 5.1.7 is worth your time, what the risks are, and what alternatives you have for Windows users who miss having Safari-like functionality on their computers.
When Should You Use It?
- For web development and testing on older browsers.
- For research on the evolution of a browser.
- To experiment with how older web technologies functioned.
When Should You Avoid It?
- Daily browsing & overall Internet protection.
- To access newer web pages that need updated render engines.
- For example, tasks that require browser extensions or dev tools.
Safari for Windows: The Final Release and Legacy
Safari for Windows may not be actively developed, but it proves a relevant tool for certain use cases including web test automation, historical research, and legacy software compatibility.
But with outdated security features and no modern web support, it isn’t fit for daily browsing. To test Safari on Windows, cloud-based testing platforms and virtual machines are better and safer options.
While Safari might have been lost on Windows, the browser’s influence on web innovation, web standards, and cross-platform compatibility is certainly not. Even in 2025, it still has a place in the history of web development.
