Today, Microsoft announced the end of the 25-year old era of Internet Explorer, a former king of browsers. Microsoft has already killed Edge Legacy earlier this year and now plans to retire Internet Explorer, which is still present in every Windows installation.
According to the blog post on the official Windows Blogs website, Microsoft plans to end Internet Explorer 11 support on June 15, 2021. The company mentions three main reasons to ditch the old browser in favor of the new Microsoft Edge: better compatibility, streamlined productivity, and better browsing security.
Thanks to Chromium, Microsoft Edge no longer suffers from compatibility issues plus, it has a legacy mode for running old websites made for Internet Explorer. Also, Edge offers several productivity tools, such as sleeping tabs and vertical tab layout, startup boost, better sync, Collections, etc. Finally, Microsoft Edge has a built-in password monitor, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, and additional tie-ins with Microsoft 365 Security suite that make Edge a better choice for organizations.
Microsoft recommends all users to switch from Internet Explorer before June 15, 2021. On that day, Microsoft will stop providing updates for the classic browser. Still, the company will keep Internet Explorer in the LTSC channel.
Microsoft does not say whether it plans to exclude Internet Explorer from the Windows 10 bundle, but it is safe to assume so, considering Windows 10 no longer has Edge Legacy preinstalled.
To make the new Edge more attractive to business consumers that require Internet Explorer compatibility, Microsoft provide a built-in IE Mode in the newest browser. It supports legacy ActiveX controls that still prevail in lots of corporate environments. That mode will remain supported until 2029.
It is also worth mentioning that Microsoft will try to speed up the imminent death of Internet Explorer by cutting off access for it to Microsoft 365 services. Starting August 17, 2021, consumers will no longer be able to access Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Outlook, Office, and other services using Internet Explorer.
You can read more about Microsoft’s plans to kill Internet Explorer in a blog post on the official website.
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