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Internet Explorer’s slow death has finally come to an end

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Today, Microsoft is concluding the retirement and end-of-life support for its Internet Explorer browser.

This will finalize a months-long transition from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge. Edge has been the brand’s primary browser since early 2020, which now comes as the default browser on new Windows devices.

Microsoft Edge in the pinned section.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft said in a blog that its final send-off for Internet Explorer will not be immediate but will roll out over the next few months. Internet Explorer icons will still be present on desktops but will send you to Microsoft Edge in an Internet Explorer mode.

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Microsoft Edge already had a “Reload in IE mode” button in its taskbar to get you accustomed to using the new browser. Internet Explorer mode allows you to view websites and applications based on legacy scripts and code in a more compatible fashion.

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The brand has plans to disable Internet Explorer and remove its icons from the Windows operating system in a future update.

Microsoft’s retirement plan for Internet Explorer will affect all versions of the browser currently supported on Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Edu, and IoT, the brand said.

Microsoft Edge has already proved to be fairly popular with approximately 212,695,000 users worldwide, according to a study by Atlas VPN. Data from Statcounter placed Edge at about 10.07%  of the most used browsers globally.

However, there does appear to still be a solid group of users keeping Internet Explorer alive, professional organizations running Windows 10.

According to research by the IT asset management group Lansweeper, approximately 9 million devices used across 33,000 different organizations are still running the legacy browser.

Many reasons organizations might have held off updating to Microsoft Edge include IT departments not being aware of the Internet Explorer end-of-life status, cost issues, and other business matters, Lansweeper told TechRadar Pro.

As final updates do begin hitting desktops to disable Internet Explorer, companies will have to pay attention.

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Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…
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