diff --git a/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml b/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
index af51acb73c..0d45f5b1d9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linux-old.yml
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ jobs:
           sha256sum freexian-archive-keyring_2022.06.08_all.deb && dpkg -i freexian-archive-keyring_2022.06.08_all.deb
           echo 'deb http://deb.freexian.com/extended-lts stretch-lts main contrib non-free' | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/extended-lts.list
           apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install -y --no-install-suggests --no-install-recommends make automake autoconf libtool gcc pkg-config libpsl-dev libzstd-dev zlib1g-dev libc-ares-dev libkrb5-dev libldap2-dev librtmp-dev stunnel4
+          apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install -y --no-install-suggests --no-install-recommends make automake autoconf libtool ninja-build gcc pkg-config libpsl-dev libzstd-dev zlib1g-dev libc-ares-dev libkrb5-dev libldap2-dev librtmp-dev stunnel4
           # GitHub's actions/checkout needs newer glibc and libstdc++. The latter also depends on
           # gcc-8-base, but it does not actually seem used in our situation and is not available in
           # the main repo, so force the install.
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: 'install prereqs (cmake)'
         env:
-          CMAKE_VERSION: 3.7.0  # Earliest version supported by curl
-          CMAKE_SHA256: e075f63e6a9104b1c3d11666ae9546bc8812f7e791a49c4ce11effc063141b2a
+          CMAKE_VERSION: 3.18.0  # Earliest version supported by curl
+          CMAKE_SHA256: 4d9a9d3351161073a67e49366d701b6fa4b0343781982dc5eef08a02a750d403
         run: |
           cd ~
           fn="cmake-${CMAKE_VERSION}-linux-x86_64"
@@ -94,13 +94,13 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: 'CM build-only configure (out-of-tree)'
         run: |
-          mkdir bld-1
-          cd bld-1
-          ~/cmake/bin/cmake .. -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
+          ~/cmake/bin/cmake -B bld-1 -G Ninja -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
             -DCURL_ENABLE_SSL=OFF -DENABLE_ARES=OFF -DCURL_ZSTD=OFF -DCURL_USE_GSSAPI=OFF -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH2=OFF -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH=OFF -DUSE_LIBRTMP=ON
 
       - name: 'CM build-only build'
-        run: VERBOSE=1 make -C bld-1 install
+        run: |
+          ~/cmake/bin/cmake --build bld-1 --verbose
+          ~/cmake/bin/cmake --install bld-1 --verbose
 
       - name: 'CM build-only curl -V'
         run: bld-1/src/curl --disable --version
@@ -118,9 +118,7 @@ jobs:
       # that enabled again
       - name: 'CM configure (out-of-tree, c-ares, zstd, gssapi)'
         run: |
-          mkdir bld-cares
-          cd bld-cares
-          ~/cmake/bin/cmake .. -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
+          ~/cmake/bin/cmake -B bld-cares -G Ninja -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
             -DCURL_ENABLE_SSL=OFF -DENABLE_ARES=ON -DCURL_USE_GSSAPI=ON -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH2=OFF -DCURL_USE_LIBSSH=OFF -DUSE_LIBRTMP=ON \
             -DCURL_LIBCURL_VERSIONED_SYMBOLS=ON
 
@@ -134,22 +132,22 @@ jobs:
           grep -F '#define' bld-cares/lib/curl_config.h | sort || true
 
       - name: 'CM build'
-        run: make -C bld-cares
+        run: ~/cmake/bin/cmake --build bld-cares
 
       - name: 'CM curl -V'
         run: bld-cares/src/curl --disable --version
 
       - name: 'CM install'
-        run: make -C bld-cares install
+        run: ~/cmake/bin/cmake --install bld-cares
 
       - name: 'CM build tests'
-        run: make -C bld-cares testdeps
+        run: ~/cmake/bin/cmake --build bld-cares --target testdeps
 
       - name: 'CM run tests'
-        run: make -C bld-cares test-ci
+        run: ~/cmake/bin/cmake --build bld-cares --target test-ci
 
       - name: 'CM build examples'
-        run: make -C bld-cares curl-examples-build
+        run: ~/cmake/bin/cmake --build bld-cares --target curl-examples-build
 
       - name: 'AM autoreconf'
         run: autoreconf -fi
diff --git a/CMake/FindBrotli.cmake b/CMake/FindBrotli.cmake
index b5437e7525..bd3363cce0 100644
--- a/CMake/FindBrotli.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindBrotli.cmake
@@ -84,10 +84,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(BROTLI_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_brotli_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::brotli)
     add_library(CURL::brotli INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::brotli PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindCares.cmake b/CMake/FindCares.cmake
index 3c05c3b2eb..19b6a03103 100644
--- a/CMake/FindCares.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindCares.cmake
@@ -106,10 +106,6 @@ if(CARES_FOUND)
     list(APPEND _cares_LIBRARIES "iphlpapi")  # for if_indextoname and others
   endif()
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_cares_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::cares)
     add_library(CURL::cares INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::cares PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindGSS.cmake b/CMake/FindGSS.cmake
index e36f75bf9c..9237fb30b1 100644
--- a/CMake/FindGSS.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindGSS.cmake
@@ -258,10 +258,6 @@ mark_as_advanced(
 )
 
 if(GSS_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_gss_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::gss)
     add_library(CURL::gss INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::gss PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindGnuTLS.cmake b/CMake/FindGnuTLS.cmake
index fff57b2c29..7f5b227dc2 100644
--- a/CMake/FindGnuTLS.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindGnuTLS.cmake
@@ -80,10 +80,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(GNUTLS_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_gnutls_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::gnutls)
     add_library(CURL::gnutls INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::gnutls PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLDAP.cmake b/CMake/FindLDAP.cmake
index 2f5cc713c7..8902b23f8d 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLDAP.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLDAP.cmake
@@ -103,10 +103,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LDAP_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_ldap_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::ldap)
     add_library(CURL::ldap INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::ldap PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibbacktrace.cmake b/CMake/FindLibbacktrace.cmake
index c6f7b700c4..59da7fdf19 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibbacktrace.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibbacktrace.cmake
@@ -47,10 +47,6 @@ if(LIBBACKTRACE_FOUND)
   set(_libbacktrace_INCLUDE_DIRS ${LIBBACKTRACE_INCLUDE_DIR})
   set(_libbacktrace_LIBRARIES    ${LIBBACKTRACE_LIBRARY})
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libbacktrace_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libbacktrace)
     add_library(CURL::libbacktrace INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libbacktrace PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibgsasl.cmake b/CMake/FindLibgsasl.cmake
index 5ddf957d72..7fbaa7128f 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibgsasl.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibgsasl.cmake
@@ -79,10 +79,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LIBGSASL_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libgsasl_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libgsasl)
     add_library(CURL::libgsasl INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libgsasl PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibidn2.cmake b/CMake/FindLibidn2.cmake
index 336a7f7b40..dc7873489a 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibidn2.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibidn2.cmake
@@ -80,10 +80,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LIBIDN2_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libidn2_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libidn2)
     add_library(CURL::libidn2 INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libidn2 PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibpsl.cmake b/CMake/FindLibpsl.cmake
index 9b1a0cdd97..2287e676d3 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibpsl.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibpsl.cmake
@@ -80,10 +80,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LIBPSL_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libpsl_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libpsl)
     add_library(CURL::libpsl INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libpsl PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibrtmp.cmake b/CMake/FindLibrtmp.cmake
index 853ba63ad0..c906cb77e7 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibrtmp.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibrtmp.cmake
@@ -58,14 +58,8 @@ else()
     file(STRINGS "${LIBRTMP_INCLUDE_DIR}/librtmp/rtmp.h" _version_str REGEX "${_version_regex}")
     string(REGEX REPLACE "${_version_regex}" "\\1" _version_str1 "${_version_str}")
     string(REGEX REPLACE "${_version_regex}" "\\2" _version_str2 "${_version_str}")
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-      # No support for hex version numbers, just strip leading zeroes
-      string(REGEX REPLACE "^0" "" _version_str1 "${_version_str1}")
-      string(REGEX REPLACE "^0" "" _version_str2 "${_version_str2}")
-    else()
-      math(EXPR _version_str1 "0x${_version_str1}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL)
-      math(EXPR _version_str2 "0x${_version_str2}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL)
-    endif()
+    math(EXPR _version_str1 "0x${_version_str1}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL)
+    math(EXPR _version_str2 "0x${_version_str2}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL)
     set(LIBRTMP_VERSION "${_version_str1}.${_version_str2}")
     unset(_version_regex)
     unset(_version_str1)
@@ -100,10 +94,6 @@ if(LIBRTMP_FOUND)
     list(APPEND _librtmp_LIBRARIES "winmm")
   endif()
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_librtmp_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::librtmp)
     add_library(CURL::librtmp INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::librtmp PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibssh.cmake b/CMake/FindLibssh.cmake
index 732ab8ee27..3837d4de62 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibssh.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibssh.cmake
@@ -106,10 +106,6 @@ if(LIBSSH_FOUND)
     list(APPEND _libssh_LIBRARIES "iphlpapi")  # for if_nametoindex
   endif()
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libssh_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libssh)
     add_library(CURL::libssh INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libssh PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibssh2.cmake b/CMake/FindLibssh2.cmake
index abed471eb2..33463983dc 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibssh2.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibssh2.cmake
@@ -91,10 +91,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LIBSSH2_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libssh2_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libssh2)
     add_library(CURL::libssh2 INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libssh2 PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindLibuv.cmake b/CMake/FindLibuv.cmake
index f9d614bc06..47d043cff6 100644
--- a/CMake/FindLibuv.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindLibuv.cmake
@@ -90,10 +90,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(LIBUV_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_libuv_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::libuv)
     add_library(CURL::libuv INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::libuv PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindMbedTLS.cmake b/CMake/FindMbedTLS.cmake
index 8b67ce9acf..0ebe90a3f0 100644
--- a/CMake/FindMbedTLS.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindMbedTLS.cmake
@@ -110,10 +110,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(MBEDTLS_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_mbedtls_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::mbedtls)
     add_library(CURL::mbedtls INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::mbedtls PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindNGHTTP2.cmake b/CMake/FindNGHTTP2.cmake
index b2a8c97ccd..2d2d874caf 100644
--- a/CMake/FindNGHTTP2.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindNGHTTP2.cmake
@@ -91,10 +91,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(NGHTTP2_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_nghttp2_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::nghttp2)
     add_library(CURL::nghttp2 INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::nghttp2 PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindNGHTTP3.cmake b/CMake/FindNGHTTP3.cmake
index 57550bffaf..32750b4d66 100644
--- a/CMake/FindNGHTTP3.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindNGHTTP3.cmake
@@ -91,10 +91,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(NGHTTP3_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_nghttp3_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::nghttp3)
     add_library(CURL::nghttp3 INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::nghttp3 PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindNGTCP2.cmake b/CMake/FindNGTCP2.cmake
index 615ee4a3c2..ae21a843cf 100644
--- a/CMake/FindNGTCP2.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindNGTCP2.cmake
@@ -155,10 +155,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(NGTCP2_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_ngtcp2_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::ngtcp2)
     add_library(CURL::ngtcp2 INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::ngtcp2 PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindNettle.cmake b/CMake/FindNettle.cmake
index d22865ffad..c963180cba 100644
--- a/CMake/FindNettle.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindNettle.cmake
@@ -85,10 +85,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(NETTLE_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_nettle_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::nettle)
     add_library(CURL::nettle INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::nettle PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindQuiche.cmake b/CMake/FindQuiche.cmake
index 22482d79fb..137679b5b3 100644
--- a/CMake/FindQuiche.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindQuiche.cmake
@@ -68,10 +68,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(QUICHE_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_quiche_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::quiche)
     add_library(CURL::quiche INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::quiche PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindRustls.cmake b/CMake/FindRustls.cmake
index 270e99c6d5..1e07565189 100644
--- a/CMake/FindRustls.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindRustls.cmake
@@ -104,10 +104,6 @@ if(RUSTLS_FOUND)
     mark_as_advanced(MATH_LIBRARY)
   endif()
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_rustls_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::rustls)
     add_library(CURL::rustls INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::rustls PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindWolfSSL.cmake b/CMake/FindWolfSSL.cmake
index 3a3c05f0fd..606a67b8be 100644
--- a/CMake/FindWolfSSL.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindWolfSSL.cmake
@@ -113,10 +113,6 @@ if(WOLFSSL_FOUND)
     mark_as_advanced(MATH_LIBRARY)
   endif()
 
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_wolfssl_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::wolfssl)
     add_library(CURL::wolfssl INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::wolfssl PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/FindZstd.cmake b/CMake/FindZstd.cmake
index baf6148f0d..20da805249 100644
--- a/CMake/FindZstd.cmake
+++ b/CMake/FindZstd.cmake
@@ -110,10 +110,6 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(ZSTD_FOUND)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.13)
-    link_directories(${_zstd_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  endif()
-
   if(NOT TARGET CURL::zstd)
     add_library(CURL::zstd INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_target_properties(CURL::zstd PROPERTIES
diff --git a/CMake/curl-config.in.cmake b/CMake/curl-config.in.cmake
index 4d7d0fd1ed..a6fc349f2a 100644
--- a/CMake/curl-config.in.cmake
+++ b/CMake/curl-config.in.cmake
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ if("@HAVE_LIBZ@")
 endif()
 
 set(_curl_cmake_module_path_save ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
-set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR} ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
+list(PREPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR})
 
 set(_curl_libs "")
 
@@ -158,35 +158,9 @@ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/@TARGETS_EXPORT_NAME@.cmake")
 
 # Alias for either shared or static library
 if(NOT TARGET @PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_NAME@)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.11 AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.18)
-    set_target_properties(@PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_SELECTED@ PROPERTIES IMPORTED_GLOBAL TRUE)
-  endif()
   add_library(@PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_NAME@ ALIAS @PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_SELECTED@)
 endif()
 
-if(TARGET @PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_STATIC@)
-  # CMake before CMP0099 (CMake 3.17 2020-03-20) did not propagate libdirs to
-  # targets. It expected libs to have an absolute filename. As a workaround,
-  # manually apply dependency libdirs, for CMake consumers without this policy.
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.17)
-    cmake_policy(GET CMP0099 _has_CMP0099)  # https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/policy/CMP0099.html
-  endif()
-  if(NOT _has_CMP0099 AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13 AND _curl_libs)
-    set(_curl_libdirs "")
-    foreach(_curl_lib IN LISTS _curl_libs)
-      if(TARGET "${_curl_lib}")
-        get_target_property(_curl_libdir "${_curl_lib}" INTERFACE_LINK_DIRECTORIES)
-        if(_curl_libdir)
-          list(APPEND _curl_libdirs "${_curl_libdir}")
-        endif()
-      endif()
-    endforeach()
-    if(_curl_libdirs)
-      target_link_directories(@PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_STATIC@ INTERFACE ${_curl_libdirs})
-    endif()
-  endif()
-endif()
-
 # For compatibility with CMake's FindCURL.cmake
 set(CURL_VERSION_STRING "@CURLVERSION@")
 set(CURL_LIBRARIES @PROJECT_NAME@::@LIB_NAME@)
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index df9ff533e5..8831937b8a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 #
 ###########################################################################
 
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.7...3.16 FATAL_ERROR)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.18 FATAL_ERROR)
 message(STATUS "Using CMake version ${CMAKE_VERSION}")
 
 # Collect command-line arguments for buildinfo.txt.
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ if(NOT "$ENV{CURL_BUILDINFO}$ENV{CURL_CI}$ENV{CI}" STREQUAL "")
   endforeach()
 endif()
 
-set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/CMake" ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
+list(PREPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/CMake")
 include(Utilities)
 include(Macros)
 include(CMakeDependentOption)
@@ -324,18 +324,10 @@ set(CURL_CFLAGS "")  # C flags set for libcurl and curl tool (aka public binarie
 option(CURL_DROP_UNUSED "Drop unused code and data from built binaries" OFF)
 if(CURL_DROP_UNUSED)
   if(APPLE)
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-Wl,-dead_strip")
-    else()
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS "-Wl,-dead_strip")
-    endif()
+    set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-Wl,-dead_strip")
   elseif(MSVC)  # Options below are toolchain defaults in Release configurations.
     # This option does not seem to have an effect with VS2010:
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-OPT:REF")
-    else()
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS "-OPT:REF")
-    endif()
+    set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-OPT:REF")
     # Optional, but reduces binary size further, with the cost of larger objects/static libraries:
     list(APPEND CURL_CFLAGS "-Gy")
   elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU" OR CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID MATCHES "Clang")
@@ -343,11 +335,7 @@ if(CURL_DROP_UNUSED)
       # To make -Wl,--gc-sections work on Windows: https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=11539
       set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_OPTIONS "-fno-asynchronous-unwind-tables")
     endif()
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-Wl,--gc-sections")
-    else()
-      set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS "-Wl,--gc-sections")
-    endif()
+    set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-Wl,--gc-sections")
     # Optional, but reduces binary size further, with the cost of larger objects/static libraries:
     list(APPEND CURL_CFLAGS "-ffunction-sections" "-fdata-sections")
   endif()
@@ -678,7 +666,7 @@ elseif(AMIGA)
 elseif(NOT WIN32 AND NOT APPLE)
   check_library_exists("socket" "connect" "" HAVE_LIBSOCKET)
   if(HAVE_LIBSOCKET)
-    set(CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "socket" ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
+    list(PREPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "socket")
   endif()
 endif()
 
@@ -1194,7 +1182,7 @@ if(NOT CURL_DISABLE_LDAP)
     find_package(LDAP MODULE)
     if(LDAP_FOUND)
       set(HAVE_LBER_H 1)
-      set(CURL_LIBS CURL::ldap ${CURL_LIBS})
+      list(PREPEND CURL_LIBS CURL::ldap)
 
       # LDAP feature checks
 
@@ -1261,7 +1249,7 @@ set(HAVE_LIBIDN2 OFF)
 if(USE_LIBIDN2 AND NOT USE_APPLE_IDN AND NOT USE_WIN32_IDN)
   find_package(Libidn2 MODULE)
   if(LIBIDN2_FOUND)
-    set(CURL_LIBS CURL::libidn2 ${CURL_LIBS})
+    list(PREPEND CURL_LIBS CURL::libidn2)
     set(HAVE_IDN2_H 1)
     set(HAVE_LIBIDN2 1)
   endif()
@@ -1284,7 +1272,7 @@ set(USE_LIBSSH2 OFF)
 if(CURL_USE_LIBSSH2)
   find_package(Libssh2 MODULE)
   if(LIBSSH2_FOUND)
-    set(CURL_LIBS CURL::libssh2 ${CURL_LIBS})  # keep it before TLS-crypto, compression
+    list(PREPEND CURL_LIBS CURL::libssh2)  # keep it before TLS-crypto, compression
     set(USE_LIBSSH2 ON)
   endif()
 endif()
@@ -1294,7 +1282,7 @@ option(CURL_USE_LIBSSH "Use libssh" OFF)
 mark_as_advanced(CURL_USE_LIBSSH)
 if(NOT USE_LIBSSH2 AND CURL_USE_LIBSSH)
   find_package(Libssh MODULE REQUIRED)
-  set(CURL_LIBS CURL::libssh ${CURL_LIBS})  # keep it before TLS-crypto, compression
+  list(PREPEND CURL_LIBS CURL::libssh)  # keep it before TLS-crypto, compression
   set(USE_LIBSSH ON)
 endif()
 
@@ -1870,12 +1858,6 @@ if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")  # MSVC but exclude clang-cl
 endif()
 
 if(CURL_LTO)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.9)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "LTO has been requested, but your cmake version ${CMAKE_VERSION} is to old. You need at least 3.9")
-  endif()
-
-  cmake_policy(SET CMP0069 NEW)
-
   include(CheckIPOSupported)
   check_ipo_supported(RESULT CURL_HAS_LTO OUTPUT _lto_error LANGUAGES C)
   if(CURL_HAS_LTO)
@@ -2051,11 +2033,7 @@ curl_add_if("SSLS-EXPORT"   _ssl_enabled AND USE_SSLS_EXPORT)
 curl_add_if("AppleSecTrust" USE_APPLE_SECTRUST AND _ssl_enabled AND (USE_OPENSSL OR USE_GNUTLS))
 curl_add_if("NativeCA"      NOT USE_APPLE_SECTRUST AND _ssl_enabled AND CURL_CA_NATIVE)
 if(_items)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-    list(SORT _items CASE INSENSITIVE)
-  else()
-    list(SORT _items)
-  endif()
+  list(SORT _items CASE INSENSITIVE)
 endif()
 set(CURL_SUPPORTED_FEATURES_LIST "${_items}")
 string(REPLACE ";" " " SUPPORT_FEATURES "${_items}")
@@ -2071,11 +2049,7 @@ curl_add_if("GnuTLS"           _ssl_enabled AND USE_GNUTLS)
 curl_add_if("Rustls"           _ssl_enabled AND USE_RUSTLS)
 
 if(_items)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-    list(SORT _items CASE INSENSITIVE)
-  else()
-    list(SORT _items)
-  endif()
+  list(SORT _items CASE INSENSITIVE)
 endif()
 string(REPLACE ";" " " SSL_BACKENDS "${_items}")
 message(STATUS "Enabled SSL backends: ${SSL_BACKENDS}")
diff --git a/appveyor.sh b/appveyor.sh
index 03d7e42642..a69fae7742 100644
--- a/appveyor.sh
+++ b/appveyor.sh
@@ -70,28 +70,17 @@ if [ -n "${CMAKE_GENERATOR:-}" ]; then
     [ "${_chkprefill}" = '_chkprefill' ] && options+=' -D_CURL_PREFILL=OFF'
     [[ "${CMAKE_GENERATE:-}" = *'-A ARM64'* ]] && SKIP_RUN='ARM64 architecture'
     [[ "${CMAKE_GENERATE:-}" = *'-DCURL_USE_OPENSSL=ON'* ]] && options+=" -DOPENSSL_ROOT_DIR=${openssl_root_win}"
-    if [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2013' ]; then
-      mkdir "_bld${_chkprefill}"
-      cd "_bld${_chkprefill}"
-      options+=' ..'
-      root='..'
-    else
-      options+=" -B _bld${_chkprefill}"
-      options+=' -DCMAKE_VS_GLOBALS=TrackFileAccess=false'
-      options+=' -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON'
-      root='.'
-    fi
-    # CMAKE_GENERATOR env requires CMake 3.15+, pass it manually to make it work with older versions.
     # shellcheck disable=SC2086
-    time cmake -G "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}" \
-      -DENABLE_DEBUG=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON \
+    time cmake -B "_bld${_chkprefill}" \
+      -DENABLE_DEBUG=ON \
+      -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON -DCURL_WERROR=ON \
+      -DCMAKE_VS_GLOBALS=TrackFileAccess=false \
       -DCURL_STATIC_CRT=ON \
       -DCURL_DROP_UNUSED=ON \
       -DCURL_USE_SCHANNEL=ON -DCURL_USE_LIBPSL=OFF \
-      ${options} \
       ${CMAKE_GENERATE:-} \
-      || { cat "${root}"/_bld/CMakeFiles/CMake* 2>/dev/null; false; }
-    [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2013' ] && cd ..
+      ${options} \
+      || { cat _bld/CMakeFiles/CMake* 2>/dev/null; false; }
   done
   if [ -d _bld_chkprefill ] && ! diff -u _bld/lib/curl_config.h _bld_chkprefill/lib/curl_config.h; then
     cat _bld_chkprefill/CMakeFiles/CMake* 2>/dev/null || true
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index d3444d9491..c33717c4e9 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -45,12 +45,16 @@ environment:
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A ARM64 -DENABLE_DEBUG=OFF -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF'
 
     - job_name: 'CM VS2010, Debug, x64, Schannel, Shared, Build-tests & examples'
-      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2013'
+      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2015'
+      CMAKE_VERSION: 3.18.4
+      CMAKE_SHA256: a932bc0c8ee79f1003204466c525b38a840424d4ae29f9e5fb88959116f2407d
       CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 10 2010'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64'
 
     - job_name: 'CM VS2012, Release, x86, Schannel, Shared, Build-tests'
       APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2015'
+      CMAKE_VERSION: 3.21.7
+      CMAKE_SHA256: 4c4840e2dc2bf82e8a16081ff506bba54f3a228b91ce36317129fed4035ef2e3
       CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 11 2012'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A Win32'
 
diff --git a/docs/DEPRECATE.md b/docs/DEPRECATE.md
index d8984a07e6..e0010d7aeb 100644
--- a/docs/DEPRECATE.md
+++ b/docs/DEPRECATE.md
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ RTMP in curl is powered by the 3rd party library librtmp.
 
 Support for RTMP in libcurl gets removed in April 2026.
 
-## CMake 3.17 and earlier
-
-We remove support for CMake <3.18 in April 2026.
-
-CMake 3.18 was released on 2020-07-15.
-
 ## TLS-SRP Authentication
 
 Transport Layer Security Secure Remote Password is a TLS feature that does not
@@ -78,3 +72,4 @@ After curl 8.19.0 NTLM support becomes opt-in.
 - OpenSSL 1.1.1 and older (removed in 8.18.0)
 - Support for Windows XP (removed in 8.19.0)
 - OpenSSL-QUIC (removed in 8.19.0)
+- CMake 3.17 and older (removed in 8.21.0)
diff --git a/docs/INSTALL-CMAKE.md b/docs/INSTALL-CMAKE.md
index 75cfceb872..eac461c576 100644
--- a/docs/INSTALL-CMAKE.md
+++ b/docs/INSTALL-CMAKE.md
@@ -43,20 +43,6 @@ that is apart from the source tree.
 For the full list of CMake build configuration variables see
 [the corresponding section](#cmake-build-options).
 
-### Fallback for CMake before version 3.13
-
-CMake before version 3.13 does not support the `-B` option. In that case,
-you must create the build directory yourself, `cd` to it and run `cmake`
-from there:
-
-    $ mkdir ../curl-build
-    $ cd ../curl-build
-    $ cmake ../curl
-
-If you want to build in the source tree, it is enough to do this:
-
-    $ cmake .
-
 ### Build system generator selection
 
 You can override CMake's default by using `-G <generator-name>`. For example
diff --git a/docs/INTERNALS.md b/docs/INTERNALS.md
index 3a21ad678b..8c9419f347 100644
--- a/docs/INTERNALS.md
+++ b/docs/INTERNALS.md
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ we use a few "build tools" and we make sure that we remain functional with
 these versions:
 
 - clang-tidy     17.0.0 (2023-09-19), recommended: 19.1.0 or later (2024-09-17)
-- cmake          3.7 (2016-11-11)
+- cmake          3.18 (2020-07-15)
 - GNU autoconf   2.59 (2003-11-06)
 - GNU automake   1.7 (2002-09-25)
 - GNU libtool    1.4.2 (2001-09-11)
diff --git a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
index f1178ad35e..dc3313d6a2 100644
--- a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -41,21 +41,13 @@ foreach(_target IN LISTS COMPLICATED_MAY_BUILD check_PROGRAMS _all)  # keep 'COM
   set(_more_libs "")
   set(_target_name "curl-example-${_target}")
   if(_target STREQUAL "all")
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.12)
-      add_library(${_target_name} OBJECT EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${_all_src})
-      if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")  # MSVC but exclude clang-cl
-        # CMake generates a static library for the OBJECT target. Silence these 'lib.exe' warnings:
-        # warning LNK4006: main already defined in ....obj; second definition ignored
-        # warning LNK4221: This object file does not define any previously undefined public symbols,
-        #                  [...] not be used by any link operation that consumes this library
-        if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-          set_target_properties(${_target_name} PROPERTIES STATIC_LIBRARY_OPTIONS "-ignore:4006;-ignore:4221")
-        else()
-          set_target_properties(${_target_name} PROPERTIES STATIC_LIBRARY_FLAGS "-ignore:4006 -ignore:4221")
-        endif()
-      endif()
-    else()
-      add_library(${_target_name} STATIC EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${_all_src})
+    add_library(${_target_name} OBJECT EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${_all_src})
+    if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")  # MSVC but exclude clang-cl
+      # CMake generates a static library for the OBJECT target. Silence these 'lib.exe' warnings:
+      # warning LNK4006: main already defined in ....obj; second definition ignored
+      # warning LNK4221: This object file does not define any previously undefined public symbols,
+      #                  [...] not be used by any link operation that consumes this library
+      set_target_properties(${_target_name} PROPERTIES STATIC_LIBRARY_OPTIONS "-ignore:4006;-ignore:4221")
     endif()
     if(_with_deps)
       set(_more_libs ${CURL_LIBS})  # If any examples required dependencies, link them
diff --git a/lib/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
index 7384844960..1b6f6b36ba 100644
--- a/lib/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ if(NOT DEFINED SHARE_LIB_OBJECT)
   endif()
 endif()
 
-if(SHARE_LIB_OBJECT AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.12)
+if(SHARE_LIB_OBJECT)
   set(LIB_OBJECT "libcurl_object")
-  add_library(${LIB_OBJECT} OBJECT ${HHEADERS} ${CSOURCES})  # Requires CMake 3.12
+  add_library(${LIB_OBJECT} OBJECT ${HHEADERS} ${CSOURCES})
   if(WIN32)
     # Define CURL_STATICLIB always, to disable __declspec(dllexport) for
     # exported libcurl symbols. We handle exports via libcurl.def instead.
@@ -194,27 +194,6 @@ if(BUILD_STATIC_LIBS)
   target_include_directories(${LIB_STATIC} INTERFACE
     "$<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}>"
     "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include>")
-
-  # CMake before CMP0099 (CMake 3.17 2020-03-20) did not propagate libdirs to
-  # targets. It expected libs to have an absolute filename. As a workaround,
-  # manually apply dependency libdirs, for CMake consumers without this policy.
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.17)
-    cmake_policy(GET CMP0099 _has_CMP0099)  # https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/policy/CMP0099.html
-  endif()
-  if(NOT _has_CMP0099 AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13 AND CURL_LIBS)
-    set(_curl_libdirs "")
-    foreach(_curl_lib IN LISTS CURL_LIBS)
-      if(TARGET "${_curl_lib}")
-        get_target_property(_curl_libdir "${_curl_lib}" INTERFACE_LINK_DIRECTORIES)
-        if(_curl_libdir)
-          list(APPEND _curl_libdirs "${_curl_libdir}")
-        endif()
-      endif()
-    endforeach()
-    if(_curl_libdirs)
-      target_link_directories(${LIB_STATIC} INTERFACE ${_curl_libdirs})
-    endif()
-  endif()
 endif()
 
 if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
@@ -258,11 +237,7 @@ if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
   if(CURL_CODE_COVERAGE)
     set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_MACROS})
     set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_CFLAGS})
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-      set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
-    else()
-      set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
-    endif()
+    set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
   endif()
 
   target_include_directories(${LIB_SHARED} INTERFACE
@@ -337,11 +312,7 @@ if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
     set(CMAKE_REQUIRED_LINK_OPTIONS "-Wl,--version-script=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/libcurl.vers")
     check_c_source_compiles("int main(void) { return 0; }" HAVE_VERSIONED_SYMBOLS)
     if(HAVE_VERSIONED_SYMBOLS)
-      if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-        set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "${CMAKE_REQUIRED_LINK_OPTIONS}")
-      else()
-        set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS "${CMAKE_REQUIRED_LINK_OPTIONS}")
-      endif()
+      set_property(TARGET ${LIB_SHARED} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "${CMAKE_REQUIRED_LINK_OPTIONS}")
     else()
       message(WARNING "Versioned symbols requested, but not supported by the toolchain.")
     endif()
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 2260ae3923..1f76839009 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -130,21 +130,13 @@ if(CURL_ANALYZER_CFLAGS)
 endif()
 
 if(ENABLE_UNICODE AND MINGW)
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-    set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-municode")
-  else()
-    set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS "-municode")
-  endif()
+  set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS "-municode")
 endif()
 
 if(CURL_CODE_COVERAGE)
   set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_MACROS})
   set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_CFLAGS})
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.13)
-    set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
-  else()
-    set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_FLAGS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
-  endif()
+  set_property(TARGET ${EXE_NAME} APPEND PROPERTY LINK_OPTIONS ${CURL_COVERAGE_LDFLAGS})
 endif()
 
 ################################################################################
diff --git a/tests/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 684759a4e6..fed5eb0d6d 100644
--- a/tests/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 #
 ###########################################################################
 
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.7...3.16 FATAL_ERROR)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.18 FATAL_ERROR)
 message(STATUS "Using CMake version ${CMAKE_VERSION}")
 
 option(TEST_CPP "Test C++" OFF)
@@ -70,9 +70,6 @@ elseif(TEST_INTEGRATION_MODE STREQUAL "add_subdirectory")
   set(BUILD_STATIC_LIBS ON CACHE BOOL "")
   add_subdirectory(curl)
 elseif(TEST_INTEGRATION_MODE STREQUAL "FetchContent")
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.14)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "This test requires CMake 3.14 or upper")
-  endif()
   include(FetchContent)
   option(FROM_GIT_REPO "Git URL" "https://github.com/curl/curl.git")
   option(FROM_GIT_TAG "Git tag" "master")
@@ -82,7 +79,7 @@ elseif(TEST_INTEGRATION_MODE STREQUAL "FetchContent")
     GIT_SHALLOW)
   set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS ON CACHE BOOL "")
   set(BUILD_STATIC_LIBS ON CACHE BOOL "")
-  FetchContent_MakeAvailable(curl)  # Requires CMake 3.14
+  FetchContent_MakeAvailable(curl)
 elseif(TEST_INTEGRATION_MODE STREQUAL "ExternalProject")
   include(ExternalProject)
   set(_curl_install_dir "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/curl-external-install")
diff --git a/tests/cmake/test.sh b/tests/cmake/test.sh
index ef49aa632d..bcc1bd37dc 100755
--- a/tests/cmake/test.sh
+++ b/tests/cmake/test.sh
@@ -14,19 +14,7 @@ mode="${1:-all}"; shift
 cmake_consumer="${TEST_CMAKE_CONSUMER:-cmake}"
 cmake_provider="${TEST_CMAKE_PROVIDER:-${cmake_consumer}}"
 
-# 'modern': supports -S/-B (3.13+), --install (3.15+)
-"${cmake_consumer}" --help | grep -q -- '--install' && cmake_consumer_modern=1
-"${cmake_provider}" --help | grep -q -- '--install' && cmake_provider_modern=1
-
-if [ -n "${TEST_CMAKE_GENERATOR:-}" ]; then
-  gen="${TEST_CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
-elif [ -n "${cmake_consumer_modern:-}" ] && \
-     [ -n "${cmake_provider_modern:-}" ] && \
-     command -v ninja >/dev/null; then
-  gen='Ninja'  # 3.17+
-else
-  gen='Unix Makefiles'
-fi
+gen="${TEST_CMAKE_GENERATOR:-Ninja}"
 
 cmake_opts='-DBUILD_CURL_EXE=OFF -DBUILD_LIBCURL_DOCS=OFF -DBUILD_MISC_DOCS=OFF -DENABLE_CURL_MANUAL=OFF'
 
@@ -47,23 +35,14 @@ if [ "${mode}" = 'all' ] || [ "${mode}" = 'ExternalProject' ]; then
   sha="$(sha256sum "${src}" | grep -a -i -o -w -E '[0-9a-f]{64}')"
   bldc='bld-externalproject'
   rm -rf "${bldc}"
-  if [ -n "${cmake_consumer_modern:-}" ]; then  # 3.15+
-    "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} -DCURL_TEST_OPTS="${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON $*" \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=ExternalProject \
-      -DFROM_ARCHIVE="${src}" -DFROM_HASH="${sha}"
-    "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
-  else
-    mkdir "${bldc}"; cd "${bldc}"
-    "${cmake_consumer}" .. -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} -DCURL_TEST_OPTS="${cmake_opts} $*" \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=ExternalProject \
-      -DFROM_ARCHIVE="${src}" -DFROM_HASH="${sha}"
-    VERBOSE=1 "${cmake_consumer}" --build .
-    cd ..
-  fi
+  "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} -DCURL_TEST_OPTS="${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON $*" \
+    -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=ExternalProject \
+    -DFROM_ARCHIVE="${src}" -DFROM_HASH="${sha}"
+  "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
   runresults "${bldc}"
 fi
 
-if [ "${mode}" = 'all' ] || [ "${mode}" = 'FetchContent' ]; then  # 3.14+
+if [ "${mode}" = 'all' ] || [ "${mode}" = 'FetchContent' ]; then
   src="${PWD}/${src}"
   bldc='bld-fetchcontent'
   rm -rf "${bldc}"
@@ -83,19 +62,9 @@ if [ "${mode}" = 'all' ] || [ "${mode}" = 'add_subdirectory' ]; then
   fi
   bldc='bld-add_subdirectory'
   rm -rf "${bldc}"
-  if [ -n "${cmake_consumer_modern:-}" ]; then  # 3.15+
-    "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} "$@" \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=add_subdirectory
-    "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
-  else
-    mkdir "${bldc}"; cd "${bldc}"
-    # Disable `pkg-config` for CMake <= 3.12. These versions cannot propagate
-    # library directories to the consumer project.
-    "${cmake_consumer}" .. -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} -DCURL_USE_PKGCONFIG=OFF ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} "$@" \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=add_subdirectory
-    VERBOSE=1 "${cmake_consumer}" --build .
-    cd ..
-  fi
+  "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} "$@" \
+    -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=add_subdirectory
+  "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
   PATH="${bldc}/curl/lib:${PATH}"
   runresults "${bldc}"
 fi
@@ -105,41 +74,21 @@ if [ "${mode}" = 'all' ] || [ "${mode}" = 'find_package' ]; then
   bldp='bld-curl'
   prefix="${PWD}/${bldp}/_pkg"
   rm -rf "${bldp}"
-  if [ -n "${cmake_provider_modern:-}" ]; then  # 3.15+
-    "${cmake_provider}" -B "${bldp}" -S "${src}" -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_PROVIDER:-} "$@" \
-      -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
-      -DBUILD_STATIC_LIBS=ON \
-      -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="${prefix}"
-    "${cmake_provider}" --build "${bldp}" --verbose
-    "${cmake_provider}" --install "${bldp}"
-  else
-    mkdir "${bldp}"; cd "${bldp}"
-    "${cmake_provider}" "${src}" -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_PROVIDER:-} "$@" \
-      -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
-      -DBUILD_STATIC_LIBS=ON \
-      -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="${prefix}"
-    VERBOSE=1 "${cmake_provider}" --build .
-    make install
-    cd ..
-  fi
+  "${cmake_provider}" -B "${bldp}" -S "${src}" -G "${gen}" ${cmake_opts} -DCMAKE_UNITY_BUILD=ON ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_PROVIDER:-} "$@" \
+    -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
+    -DBUILD_STATIC_LIBS=ON \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="${prefix}"
+  "${cmake_provider}" --build "${bldp}" --verbose
+  "${cmake_provider}" --install "${bldp}"
   echo '::group::libcurl.pc'; cat "${prefix}"/lib/pkgconfig/*.pc || true; echo '::endgroup::'
   echo '::group::curl-config.cmake'; cat "${prefix}"/lib/cmake/CURL/CURL* || true; echo '::endgroup::'
   echo '::group::curl-config'; cat "${prefix}"/bin/curl-config || true; echo '::endgroup::'
   bldc='bld-find_package'
   rm -rf "${bldc}"
-  if [ -n "${cmake_consumer_modern:-}" ]; then  # 3.15+
-    "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_CONSUMER:-} \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=find_package \
-      -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="${prefix}/lib/cmake/CURL"
-    "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
-  else
-    mkdir "${bldc}"; cd "${bldc}"
-    "${cmake_consumer}" .. -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_CONSUMER:-} \
-      -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=find_package \
-      -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="${prefix}/lib/cmake/CURL"
-    VERBOSE=1 "${cmake_consumer}" --build .
-    cd ..
-  fi
+  "${cmake_consumer}" -B "${bldc}" -G "${gen}" ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS:-} ${TEST_CMAKE_FLAGS_CONSUMER:-} \
+    -DTEST_INTEGRATION_MODE=find_package \
+    -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="${prefix}/lib/cmake/CURL"
+  "${cmake_consumer}" --build "${bldc}" --verbose
   PATH="${prefix}/bin:${PATH}"
   runresults "${bldc}"
 fi