On some Windows 10 systems in February, Microsoft Edge will permanently disable Internet Explorer 11 in a future update.
A Windows update will disable Internet Explorer on June 15, the day the legacy web browser reached its end of support.
On February 14, 2023, the out-of-support Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop application will be permanently disabled on certain versions of Windows 10 devices, through a Microsoft Edge update, not a Windows update, Redmond announced.
“All remaining devices that have not yet been redirected from IE11 to Microsoft Edge will be redirected with the Microsoft Edge update scheduled for February 14, 2023.”
The Disable IE policy should be used by enterprise admins before February 14 to prevent “business disruption at scale when users lose access to IE11-dependent applications” when they transition from IE11 to Microsoft Edge with IE mode and remove IE visual references from the Start Menu and Windows taskbar.
It is also intended that the May non-security preview release and the June Windows monthly security update will remove them in environments where administrators will not act before IE11 is permanently disabled.
Previously, BleepingComputer reported that Internet Explorer 11 would redirect users to the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.
As of October 2020, incompatible sites are automatically launched in IE11 using Microsoft Edge. The list of incompatible sites (managed by Microsoft) contains 7,562 domains belonging to a long list of high-profile online platforms and services, including Facebook, Instagram, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Twitter, and many others.
To make the switch easier, users’ data (including settings, passwords, and favorites) will be imported into Microsoft Edge during redirection.
There is still some life left in Internet Explorer
The IE11 browser is officially retired from multiple Windows 10 versions on the semi-annual channel (SAC) servicing channel, but it will still be available on Windows 7 ESU, Windows 8.1, and versions of Windows 10 LTSC client and IoT.
On systems running these Windows versions, the web browser will continue to receive technical support and security updates.
For years, Microsoft has urged customers to switch to Microsoft Edge with IE mode since it enables backward compatibility and will be supported until at least 2029. You can learn more about IE mode and how to make the switch in this getting started guide.
The IE mode can be enabled in Microsoft Edge by going to edge://settings/defaultbrowser, toggling on the ‘Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer’ option, and restarting it.
The company first announced its plans to end support for IE11 in Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 in August 2020, followed by an official retirement announcement in May 2021.
In November 2020, Microsoft discontinued support for IE in Teams, as well as across all Microsoft 365 apps and services in August 2021.
A complete list of Microsoft services and apps that have stopped supporting Internet Explorer can be found here.
