Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer on some Windows 10 versions

Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer 11 from some Windows 10 versions and replacing it with the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.

"Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge," said Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge Partner Group Program Manager.

"With Microsoft Edge capable of assuming this responsibility and more, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10."

The retirement announcement impacts Internet Explorer 11 desktop apps delivered via the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) to systems running Windows 10 client SKUs (version 20H2 and later) and Windows 10 IoT (version 20H2 and later).

Out of scope Windows releases unaffected by this announcement include:

• Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge
• Internet Explorer platform (MSHTML/Trident), including WebOC
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU)
• Windows 10 Server SAC (all versions)
• Windows 10 IoT Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) (all versions)
• Windows 10 Server LTSC (all versions)
• Windows 10 client LTSC (all versions)
• In-market Windows 10 LTSC and Windows Server

After being retired on June 15, 2022, the Internet Explorer desktop application will be out of support and disabled, automatically redirecting users to Microsoft Edge when launched.

Internet Explorer lives on with Edge IE mode

"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," Lyndersay added.

"In fact, we found that enterprises have 1,678 legacy apps on average. 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."

Sites that only work on Internet Explorer 11 can be opened with Microsoft Edge, in IE mode. To enable it, go to edge://settings/defaultbrowser, toggle on 'Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer' and restart Microsoft Edge.

Learn more about the IE mode and how to deploy and transition to Microsoft Edge in your enterprise environment by reading the Getting Started guide.

Further info on Microsoft Edge Internet Explorer mode and compatibility is available in the video embedded below.

Edge IE Mode supported until at least 2029

Support for Microsoft Edge IE mode follows the lifecycle of Windows client, Server, and IoT versions released at least through 2029. 

Furthermore, Microsoft will also give customers one year of notice before retiring the IE mode experience.

Microsoft said last year that Microsoft Teams would no longer support Internet Explorer 11 starting with November 30, 2020.

The company also added that it would ultimately end all support for Internet Explorer across Microsoft 365 apps and services on August 17, 2021.

WordPress, the most well-known and popular blogging platform, also announced in March that it is considering dropping support for Internet Explorer 11 as the browser's usage has dipped below 1%.