Microsoft to Retire Internet Explorer

After more than 25 years, Microsoft is officially retiring Internet Explorer next year. The olden web browser has been mostly ignored by most customers for years, but on June 15th, 2022, Microsoft will hammer the last nail in the coffin of Internet Explorer by retiring it in favor of Microsoft Edge.

“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” says Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge program manager. “The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10.”

While Internet Explorer will be supported in the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) of Windows 10 next year, it will be phased out of all consumer versions. Although Microsoft doesn't say so (and we're verifying), it's probable that Internet Explorer will be phased out of Windows by June 2022 or shortly afterward.

For most organizations, Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode will be the best option. Microsoft's Edge IE mode was introduced a few years ago, allowing companies to use the new Chromium-based browser to access older legacy websites. Older ActiveX components and legacy sites are supported by IE mode, which is surprising because many organizations still use them. Microsoft is promising to support this IE mode in Edge until at least 2029.

It's been a long time coming, but Internet Explorer is now being phased out. Last year, Microsoft stopped supporting Internet Explorer 11 for the Microsoft Teams online app, and it plans to stop allowing it to access Microsoft 365 services later this year. On August 17th, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported by Microsoft's online services such as Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook, and others.

For more than five years, Microsoft has been attempting to discourage consumers from using Internet Explorer. In 2015, Microsoft Edge was released, signaling the retirement of the Internet Explorer brand. Since then, Microsoft has referred to Internet Explorer as a "compatibility solution" rather than a browser and has urged companies to abandon it in favor of Edge and it's IE mode.