Internet Explorer continues to dominate desktop browser share

Internet Explorer is the most popular desktop Web browser on Earth, according to Net Marketshare — and it’s not even a close race.

As of last month, Internet Explorer’s market share stands at 58.38 percent. That’s actually up slightly from May, when it was 58.17 percent. The next closest competitor is Google Chrome, which has a share of 19.34 percent. That’s a jump of over a point and a half from May, when its share was at 17.73 percent.

Trailing Chrome is Firefox, whose June market share is 15.54 percent. Firefox’s share actually fell from May, when it was at 16.81 percent. Unsurprisingly, Safari is a distant fourth, occupying 5.28 percent of the desktop Web browser share market. Safari’s share also fell from May, when it was measured at 5.72 percent.

So why does Internet Explorer dwarf the competition in this case? The most likely explanation has two parts. First, Internet Explorer is the default Web browser that ships with every Windows PC. Sure, you can install another browser, but if the one your system comes with is good enough, why bother?

Which leads to the second part of the equation. In recent years, Microsoft has added significant improvements to Internet Explorer, modernizing it so that it holds up to the standards of its chief competitors today — namely Chrome and Firefox.

For many people, it appears, IE is good enough. What about you?