Microsoft has officially ended support for Internet Explorer 11 in June 2022, leaving the chromium-powered Microsoft Edge as the only officially supported browser, according to The Verge. While some versions of Windows 10, such as the Windows 10 China Government Edition and Microsoft’s Long-Term Servicing Channel for Windows 10, will still allow usage of IE, it will no longer be available for the vast majority of users. Microsoft has been shifting its focus to Edge since its launch in 2015, with IE mode for Edge launching in 2019. Despite this shift, the tech powering IE will remain supported, with MSHTML enabling Internet Explorer mode in Edge until at least 2029.

Internet Explorer (IE) was launched by Microsoft in 1995 and quickly became the dominant web browser, with over 90% market share at its peak in the early 2000s. IE was bundled with Windows operating systems, making it the default browser for many users. However, IE’s dominance was challenged by the rise of competitors such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, which offered faster and more modern browsing experiences.

IE faced criticism for its slow speed, security vulnerabilities, and lack of support for modern web technologies. Microsoft attempted to address these issues with the release of IE 7 and 8, but it was too little too late. By 2011, IE’s market share had dropped below 50% for the first time.

In response, Microsoft developed a new browser, Microsoft Edge, which was first released in 2015 with the launch of Windows 10. Edge was built on a new rendering engine, offering better performance and support for modern web standards. It also introduced new features such as a reading mode and Cortana integration.

Despite the launch of Edge, IE remained in use by many businesses and government organizations due to its legacy support for older web applications. However, Microsoft announced in 2021 that it was officially ending support for IE in favor of Edge, marking the end of an era for the once-dominant web browser.