Microsoft has today announced in a blog post that Internet Explorer 11 desktop app will be retired on June 15, 2022. The company has also pitched Microsoft Edge as the better replacement of Internet explorer. While the IE 11 will be retired in 2022, Microsoft 365 and other apps will end support for the browser on August 17,2021.
Microsoft didn’t forget to mention that the Edge browser has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in for accessing legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications. Also, this retirement does not affect in-market Windows 10 LTSC or Server Internet Explorer 11 desktop applications. It also does not affect the MSHTML (Trident) engine.
Microsoft has also provided instructions for those still using IE 11, consumer or corporate.
How this impacts you
If you’re a consumer using Internet Explorer at home, we recommend you transition to Microsoft Edge before June 15, 2022, to start enjoying a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience. The good news: you probably already have it on your device. Search for “Microsoft Edge” using the Windows 10 search box or look for the icon (see the top of this article). If you don’t have it, you can easily download it here. We’ve also aimed to make the upgrade to Microsoft Edge simple. Once you’ve opted in to moving to Microsoft Edge, it’s easy to bring over your passwords, favorites and other browsing data from Internet Explorer in a few clicks. And if you run into a site that needs Internet Explorer to open, Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode built-in so you can still access it.
If you’re an organization using Internet Explorer, you may have a surprisingly large set of legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and apps, built up over many years. In fact, we found that enterprises have 1,678 legacy apps on average.1 By moving to Microsoft Edge, you get everything described above plus you’ll be able to extend the life of your legacy websites and apps well beyond the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application retirement date using IE mode. Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029.
To prepare your organization for June 15, 2022, we recommend the following three steps to begin setting up Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode:
Check out the Internet Explorer mode website for more details. Get a custom cost-benefit analysis of Microsoft Edge and IE mode for your organization, with a Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact™ estimation tool, and access the Getting Started guide.
Read the Getting Started guide for helpful check lists, instructional videos and links to no-cost support like FastTrack and App Assure who can help you with deployment as well as website and application compatibility.
Reuse your Enterprise Mode Site List from Internet Explorer if you already have one. Reusing your Enterprise Mode Site List means you’re already on your way to setting up IE mode. If you don’t have one, create one using this Configure IE mode tool.
Our tools and documentation outline best practices for rolling out Microsoft Edge with IE mode. You can also learn from others who have already made the move—read about how GlaxoSmithKline rolled out Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode in their organization of 130,000 employees globally and have made Microsoft Edge their default browser.
If you’re a web developer working on a modern website or app, we know you’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Internet Explorer has increasingly been difficult to support side-by-side with modern browsers. With this change, enterprises and consumers will be able to limit their use of Internet Explorer to only those legacy sites that absolutely need it. While this is a welcome change that will save you time and money as a web developer, it will take time for users to transition away from Internet Explorer, so we recommend you plan an orderly movement to end Internet Explorer support based on your users’ needs. When you are ready, we can also help ease the transition. Microsoft Edge has built-in support to move your users seamlessly, including retaining history, tabs, passwords, signed-in state and other settings so they can have an uninterrupted experience with your site. Send us a note when you’re ready ([email protected]) and we can add your IE site to our list which will enable this transition experience. Learn more about how we can help your IE users switch smoothly.
