Here we are: Microsoft has finally reached the day when Internet Explorer 11 will be permanently disabled on Windows 10 computers, and will no longer be available for older versions of Windows. The final plan to discontinue support for the browser was revealed in December, and it is now being implemented.
Because Microsoft has been dragging out the process for years, most people have probably lost track of how many times the death of Internet Explorer has been reported. Initially scheduled for 2020, Windows 11 was supposed to be discontinued in June 2022 as Microsoft shifted its focus to the Edge browser. In reality, however, this was just the date on which Microsoft started transitioning users away from Internet Explorer and onto Microsoft Edge, so not everyone was immediately impacted.
Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode is an alternative for most commercial enterprises. Due to Microsoft’s IE mode for Edge, businesses have been able to switch to the new Chromium-based browser even though it is incompatible with some older, legacy websites. ActiveX controls and legacy sites, which many companies still use surprisingly, are supported in IE mode. Microsoft has committed to maintaining this IE compatibility setting in Edge until at least 2029.
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Time has finally come for Internet Explorer to be retired. Last year, Microsoft stopped ensuring that Internet Explorer 11 users could continue to access the Microsoft Teams web app, and later this year, it plans to prevent Internet Explorer 11 users from accessing Microsoft 365 services altogether. Microsoft’s online services, including Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook, and more, will stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 on August 17th.
Microsoft has spent the past five years actively discouraging the use of Internet Explorer. In 2015, Microsoft released Edge, marking the beginning of the end for the Internet Explorer name. Microsoft has since relegated Internet Explorer to the status of a “compatibility solution” rather than a browser, recommending that businesses switch to Edge and its IE mode instead.
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When Microsoft releases Edge, Internet Explorer won’t be completely obsolete. Mode IE
Microsoft has been pushing users away from Internet Explorer for years, so its demise probably comes as no surprise. It was announced in August 2020 that Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 would no longer receive updates for Internet Explorer 11, and on May 19, 2021, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application would be officially retired.
Microsoft has since announced that support for IE will be phased out across all Microsoft 365 apps and services as of August 17, 2021, and from Teams as of November 30, 2020. “The switch to Microsoft Edge in IE mode is recommended for all customers. Internet Explorer’s compatibility mode will be maintained until at least 2029 “Finally, Redmond chimed in.
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