Internet Explorer will be disabled through a Microsoft Edge update in February 2023

Microsoft announced on Friday that a Microsoft Edge update that it plans to release in February 2023 will disable Internet Explorer 11 permanently on select Windows 10 systems.

Internet Explorer 11 reached end of support on June 15, 2022, but it was not removed from devices at the time. In fact, customers could still run Internet Explorer. Microsoft told customers at the time that a Windows Update would disable the classic web browser eventually.

Now, Microsoft clarifies that Internet Explorer 11 will be "permanently disabled on certain versions of Windows 10" on February 14, 2023 through a Microsoft Edge update. "All remaining devices that have not already been redirected from IE11 to Microsoft Edge are scheduled to be redirected with the Microsoft Edge update scheduled for February 14, 2023" according to the Redmond-based company.

Organizations who have not transitioned users from Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge may be impacted by the change. Microsoft urges administrators to complete transitions by February 2023 to avoid disruptions to workflows.

Enterprise administrators may remove references to Internet Explorer, such as icons on the taskbar or Start menu, using a Disable IE policy. The visual references will be removed during the installation of the June 2023 cumulative updates for Windows and the preview update of the June 2023 cumulative update, which Microsoft plans to release on May 23, 2023.

Attempts to launch Internet Explorer  will result in the redirection to Microsoft Edge. Microsoft maintains a list of more than 7500 websites that it considers incompatible with the classic web browser. These sites launch Microsoft Edge automatically when visited in Internet Explorer. Some user data, such as passwords and favorites, are imported into Microsoft Edge during the first redirection.

Still not the end of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer remains available on some devices. The browser did not ship with Windows 11 and it will be removed for good on most Windows 10 systems. With that said, it is still available as a browser on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, as well as select Windows Server versions and LTSC/IoT versions.

Windows 7 and 8.1 will run out of support in January 2023, before the disabling of Microsoft Edge. Microsoft announced that it will stop supporting Microsoft Edge on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 devices in January 2023. The browser can still be run, but it won't receive updates anymore after the end of service. Internet Explorer 11 won't receive updates anymore as well on these devices, but the browser can also be run on them.

Older versions of Internet Explorer may also be used on even older versions of Windows. Devices with Windows XP or Vista are still in use, and Internet Explorer may also be used on these devices.

Now You: when was the last time that you used Internet Explorer?

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