Microsoft Officially Disables Internet Explorer on Windows 10 PCs with Edge Update.
Tombstone dedicated to the legendary browser established in South Korea. (Image: Reuters).
The legendary Internet Explorer browser has long been replaced by Microsoft with the newer, feature-rich Edge version. Windows 11 marked the end of this software’s development by completely removing it from the system. However, Internet Explorer continued to exist on Windows 10 computers until February 14.
As of today, following Microsoft’s rollout of an update for Microsoft Edge, the new application will permanently disable Internet Explorer on PCs running Windows 10. Once the computer upgrades to the new version, users will no longer be able to open the aforementioned legendary browser application.
The IE icon remains, but users cannot access it once the browser is disabled. (Image: Wired).
Data related to Internet Explorer, such as the system icon, is scheduled for removal in a Windows update this fall, with a timeline set for June 13. Although users may still find the iconic “E” icon scattered across their computers until June, accessing the application will be impossible.
For customers who still require Internet Explorer, such as to access a very old website that does not support modern browsers, Microsoft offers a solution: IE mode, which runs directly on Edge. This tool provides a legacy browsing experience, with an Internet Explorer option available within Microsoft Edge.
“If your company is still dependent on Internet Explorer 11, you need to take steps now to complete the transition. Otherwise, your business risks experiencing large-scale disruptions when access to the browser is lost,” Microsoft notified its enterprise customers.
In fact, the Internet Explorer browser has been “dead” for a long time, since Microsoft released Edge in 2015.
Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 and was an integral part of Windows versions. It held the number one market share globally from 1999. The peak of IE occurred between 2002 and 2003 with versions IE5 and IE6, capturing up to 95% of computer users. Subsequently, Microsoft’s browser faced competition from alternatives like Mozilla’s Firefox and Google Chrome. On June 15, 2022, Microsoft ended support for IE on Windows 10 and recommended users switch to Edge. Currently, when users search for the Internet Explorer application on Microsoft’s homepage, the company recommends transitioning to Edge. Installing the official Internet Explorer version is nearly impossible on Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 computers. |
