Apparently someone has figured out how to do this using builds of Python3 for W7 that provide a needed dll which has been re-engineered.
The biggest hassle seems to be needing a W10 machine to install it on first as a step.
I don’t know any more than what’s in the post linked to below. I don’t even have Windows myself.
It might be too much to ask the developers to turn off the W7 “computer says no” code, given that W7 is in fact EOL, but maybe a volunteer might step up to provide builds so that W10 isn’t needed as a stepping stone?
I have not tried anything of this, but user qu1ck from the EEVblog forum just commented:
Tip: 7-zip can extract the files from the installer, this should help you skip the “install on win10” step.
You actually want to do more than just unpack the 7z. You want to install the fixed Python3 with the fixed dll and edit the path. You might also want to arrange it so that updates will take, and that it reports the right version for bug reports.
Reporting the version is important to avoid wasting the developers time, but you wont get support unless you pay. I cannot see a developer having a Windows 7 test system
It reporting an unsupported version instead of the “right version” is intentional; we do not accept bug reports from unsupported platforms. We don’t have any opinion on if people provide builds that work on Windows 7, as long as they are clearly unofficial and unsupported.
You at least want to report that it’s running on W7 (and unsupported as well) so that its status is clear. Someone else can then try to reproduce the problem on W1[01].
We ask that users try to reproduce a suspected bug on a supported platform before they open an issue, not afterwards. We are all volunteers with limited time, and we ask that people do this extra legwork themselves if they are using an unsupported platform rather than opening an issue and expecting other users to do the checks.
Forum usually serves as first port of call and filter anyway.
I know that KiCad 6/7 is not supported on Windows 7.
But there are situations when somebody has Win7 and cannot or don’t want to migrate to Win10/11.
That is my case.
So, I managed KiCad 7 (version 7.0.5 to be precise) to work on Win7. I repeat, I know it is not supported and maybe some things wont work (I did not find such thing so far).
If somebody wants/needs to run KiCad 7 on Windows 7, this is how:
Now you can run KiCad 7. It gives warning that operating system is not supported, but KiCad runs fine despite that.
Just out of curiosity, I would like to know in what kind of situation is it a good idea to run KiCad on Win7 in 2023? I just can not think of anything.
I have old notebook ThinkPad T520, with Win7. This notebook has perfect keyboard for me. I really hate keyboards of newer models.
Genuine ThinkPad utilities do not work in Win10/11.
So, I have these options:
I picked the last option.
Or you could use a VM to use software that doesn’t work on Windows 7.
Nothing wrong with using KiCad on a already existing Windows 7, just list some other options.
Genuine ThinkPad utilities do not work in Linux either.
I’m not looking for advice 
I just responded to scoop’s curiosity.
Fun fact, it’s a bug that it doesn’t close KiCad immediately on the warning 
Usually for performance reasons, often an older machine with a hard disk instead of an SSD. Newer versions of Windows do aggressive caching which is nearly transparent on an SSD, but keeps an HD working at 100% “loading” for objectionably long periods of time.
Of course, if you have enough RAM and are willing to go pour yourself another cup of coffee, once the “loading/caching” is complete the program is quite responsive under Win10/11.
I use 7 different machines regularly, a couple with multiple monitors, and I am running Win10 Pro on 2, different flavors of Linux on another 3, and the “free” upgrade to Win11 Home on 2 machines which can meet new Win11 HW requirements. The reason for 7 machines, some are technical, others are business. I run 4 different operating systems and keep some machines tuned for business/development, and others for personal home use, accounting, banking, communication. This separation of activities works well for productivity.
Bottom line, I can run KiCad 6 and 7 on any of these machines using a design residing somewhere on two separate secure networks. As a for instance, someone had a question about SPICE. I was able to start KiCad 7 and had their “simple demo” up and running in 10 minutes with both AC and Transient analysis response graphs. They were excited and asked me to email the circuit. They spent the rest of their evening exploring. I got a return email at 11:30pm with a nicely configured AC analysis… that one is now hooked on KiCad 7 / NGSPICE. 
At this point you are better off just replacing the disk in even an old machine with an SSD. It can turn a 13 year old machine into a brand new machine like magic. SSDs are cheap these days.
You can literally get 256GB for $15
Thank you, I have a 1 TB SSD sitting next to the desktop machine for exactly this purpose. Laptops can be slightly more problematic if an access door on the bottom isn’t available.
I have necessary knowledge and skill, what’s holding me up is time, which will happen soon I hope. (working for an exciting startup, and a daughter getting married, home maintenance, repair, etc.) It’s all happening, just can’t make it happen fast enough!
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