Internet Explorer (IE) End of Life

After 25+ years of helping people use and experience the web, Internet Explorer (IE) is officially retired and out of support as of June 15, 2022.

So, what happens now for everyday users?

Over the next few months, opening Internet Explorer will progressively redirect users to our new modern browser, Microsoft Edge with IE mode. Users will still see the Internet Explorer icon on their devices (such as on the taskbar or in the Start menu) but if they click to open Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge will open instead with easy access to IE mode. Eventually, Internet Explorer will be disabled permanently as part of a future Windows Update, at which point the Internet Explorer icons on users’ devices will be removed.

What about my favorites?

As part of this redirection process, users will have their data like favorites, passwords and settings imported from Internet Explorer—this will help make the transition to Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox both familiar and simple. If a user wants to delete or manage their data at any point after, they can always do so from within the application.

What if my website only works in IE?

Some websites only work with Internet Explorer—these websites might be built on older internet technology and not function properly while using a modern browser. Understanding this, Microsoft has built Microsoft Edge with IE mode.

To help users get started with IE mode, the redirection process will add a “Reload in IE mode” button to their toolbar in Microsoft Edge. That way, if you encounter a website that may not work correctly—or if you visit a website that asks you to open the site using Internet Explorer—you can easily click the button to open the page in IE mode. Microsoft Edge will even ask you if they’d like the page to open in IE mode next time automatically! Microsoft Edge will check in with you every 30 days to make sure they still need IE mode for the site. As more and more sites get updated to modern standards, users will need to use IE mode less and the modern rendering engine more.

Microsoft Edge | How to use the IE mode button in Microsoft Edge