Microsoft Releases Windows Update That Will Permanently Disable Internet Explorer

Software giant Microsoft is finally and irrevocably ditching Internet Explorer, forever turning off browser through the Microsoft Edge update, released on February 14th.

Microsoft officially ended Internet Explorer last June, ditching it in favor of Microsoft Edge and also officially dropping support for IE 11. The latest update ensures that you will no longer be able to run the outdated browser on most Windows 10 client versions.

Microsoft switched to its Chromium-based Edge as the default browser in Windows 11, but the MSHTML engine that Internet Explorer is based on is still part of Windows 11. It exists to enable IE mode in Microsoft Edge, and the company says it will support it until at least 2029.

Microsoft dropped the Internet Explorer branding with the release of Windows 10 in 2015. In recent years, the company has used it as a "compatibility solution."