MICROSOFT RETIRES INTERNET EXPLORER BROWSER AFTER 26 YEARS
Internet Explorer is no longer available. Microsoft is retiring Internet Explorer today, after nearly 27 years. The old web browser is being phased out in favor of Microsoft Edge, with support for IE 11 officially ending today. With the release of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft abandoned the Internet Explorer branding, signaling the end of an era for the internet.
Little has changed for customers. Internet Explorer usage has declined in recent years, with “StatCounter” suggesting IE has less than half of the overall browser market share. For years, Microsoft has attempted to discourage users from using Internet Explorer, referring to it as a "compatibility solution" rather than a browser that businesses can use.
Over the next few months, Microsoft will begin rolling out a new popup that will move anyone still using Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer will eventually be permanently deactivated as part of a future Windows release. More information regarding how Microsoft is handling the removal of Internet Explorer from Windows may be found here.
While Microsoft's Chromium-powered Edge browser is now the default in Windows 11, the MSHTML engine that powers Internet Explorer remains. It exists just for IE mode in Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft has stated that IE mode in Edge will be supported until at least 2029.
Some organizations will still be caught off guard by Internet Explorer's retirement, or will not have been able to completely phase it out in time. According to Nikkei, certain Japanese government agencies and financial institutions have been reluctant to respond to IE retirement. The Japan Pension Service website, for example, must still be viewed in Edge's IE mode.
Windows 11 users won't have to worry about Internet Explorer because the operating system doesn't even offer an accessible version of the browser. It's the first time in more than 20 years that Microsoft hasn't included Internet Explorer with a new version of Windows.
