The era of Internet Explorer is officially ending.
On Tuesday, Microsoft confirmed that the company permanently disabled the out-of-support Internet Explorer 11 desktop app on certain versions of Windows 10 through a Microsoft Edge update.
Microsoft started redirecting those who try to open the familiar “e,” application to the company’s more recent browser, Microsoft Edge, in June – when Microsoft retired Internet Explorer.
Now, “all remaining consumer and commercial devices that were not already redirected from IE11 to Microsoft Edge were redirected with (Tuesday’s) Microsoft Edge update,” Microsoft wrote on Tuesday. “Users will be unable to reverse the change.”
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Microsoft added that Internet Explorer 11’s “visual references,” including the such as the browser’s icons on the Start Menu and taskbar, are set to be removed in Windows security update scheduled for June 2023. Certain versions of Windows 10 will see Internet Explorer’s visual references removed earlier, in May 2023, through another optional update.
When did Internet Explorer first come out?
Microsoft launched Internet Explorer nearly three decades ago, in 1995. There were 11 versions of the browser between its launch and 2013, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.
For years, Internet Explorer was the go-to browser on Windows PCs – before rivals like Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome snagged users away.
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Internet Explorer redirects to Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge was launched in 2015. In the years since, the company has gradually phased out Internet Explorer.
Following the retirement of Internet Browser last June, support for Internet Explorer ended and users who clicked on the Internet Explorer icon were redirected to Microsoft Edge. And, again, after Internet Browser was permanently disabled on Tuesday, remaining impacted devices were redirected.
Although there are some exceptions, Tuesday’s update means that Internet Explorer stopped working for most users – as the desktop app can no longer launch on most client versions of Windows 10, CBS and The Verge reported.
See the versions of Windows 10 impacted on Microsoft’s FAQs here.
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Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge comes with Internet Explorer mode (IE mode), which allows users to access sites that are not supported by modern browsers, said Sean Lyndersay, general manager at Microsoft Edge Enterprise.
Microsoft’s Tuesday update confirmed that IE mode remains in support.
Contributing:Â Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY.
Story Credit: usatoday.com