On May 21, 2021, Microsoft released a new build 21387 to Windows insiders in the Dev channel. In terms of new features or changes, that update contains nothing significant. The biggest shift is that Microsoft no longer bundles the good old Internet Explorer with Windows 10. From now on, Windows 10 has only one browser, which is Edge Chromium.
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Microsoft announced its plans to retire Internet Explorer several days ago. According to the roadmap, Microsoft will stop providing support for the classic browser in June 2021. The company recommends Internet Explorer users to switch to Edge Chromium as soon as possible. Ditching IE in the latest Windows 10 preview build is one more nail in the Internet Explorer's coffin.
Although regular users mostly not use Internet Explorer these days, demand for this browser remains high on the corporate market. To make switching from an ancient browser to a much newer and modern Edge Chromium easier, Microsoft has built a dedicated IE mode that supports many outdated controls and features of Internet Explorer. The company plans to support this mode at least until 2029.
As for Internet Explorer, Microsoft will keep releasing updates and patches for the browser until June 15, 2021. After that date, IE will remain only in LTSC versions of Windows 10.
Stopping supporting Internet Explorer is not the only action Microsoft takes to prevent people from using the browser. Windows 10 already has a built-in list of popular websites flagged as incompatible with Internet Explorer. When users try to open YouTube or any other mainstream website, Windows 10 automatically opens Edge with a brief explanation that the website does not work with IE. Also, Microsoft plans to cut off access to Microsoft 365 services from Internet Explorer on August 17, 2021.
Microsoft does not officially say whether it plans to stop bundling Windows 10 with Internet Explorer. Still, the changelog for the latest preview build of Windows 10 makes it clear that Internet Explorer is on its way out of the operating system from Microsoft. In March 2021, the company removed Edge Legacy from Windows 10. Now, it is time for Microsoft to ditch Internet Explorer for good.
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I’m sure it will not included on fresh Windows 10 installation, but as an optional Windows component just hidden on the Settings > Apps > Optional Apps for Home and Pro editions.
Christian,
Yes! Finally a voice of reason as opposed to Taras’s technological cheerleading for an inferior product!
The Boca Deb
Let us not forget that Microsoft tried this same tactic, saying that NO ONE used Onenote in Microsoft Office, that EVERYONE used the Onenote in Windows 10.
You remember what happened, right? Microsoft ended up putting Onenote back into Microsoft Office. I am STILL laughing about that one.
That tells me, baed on prior misjudgments Microsoft made about its userbase’s preferences, that Internet Explorer is here to stay. CEO Nadella just won’t be able to collect the telemetry from it that he seems so obsessed with.
The Boca Deb
But IE is currently a requirement (as an enabled feature) for IE mode in Edge to work, so unless there’s a major update for Edge coming out soon, I bet that IE can still be found hidden somewhere. They probably just removed the shortcut and / or executable.