Washington, May 20: Microsoft is finally pulling the plug on its longstanding browser, Internet Explorer, after more than 25 years. As per The Verge, the web browser has largely been unused by most users for years, but Microsoft will be retiring Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022. The company is encouraging users to shift to Microsoft Edge instead, which has legacy support for Internet Explorer-based websites built-in.

"We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge," said Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge program manager. Lyndersay added, "The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10." Microsoft’s Iconic Internet Explorer Browser To Retire on June 15, 2022: Report.

While the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) of Windows 10 will still include Internet Explorer next year, all consumer versions will end support of the browser. Microsoft doesn't make it clear, but it's likely that we'll finally see the end of Internet Explorer being bundled in Windows either in June 2022 or soon after.

The alternative for most businesses will be Microsoft Edge with IE mode. Microsoft created its IE mode for Edge a couple of years ago, and it has allowed businesses to adopt the new Chromium-based browser for older legacy websites. IE mode supports older ActiveX controls and legacy sites, which are surprisingly still used by many businesses. Microsoft is promising to support this IE mode in Edge until through at least 2029. Microsoft to End Support for Adobe Flash Player on Microsoft Edge & Internet Explorer 11 by the End of This Year.

The end of Internet Explorer has been a long time coming. Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer 11 for the Microsoft Teams web app last year, and it is planning to cut it off from accessing Microsoft 365 services later this year. Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported for Microsoft's online services like Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook, and more on August 17th.

Microsoft has also been trying to stop people from using Internet Explorer for more than five years. Microsoft Edge first appeared in 2015, and it kicked off the end of the Internet Explorer brand. Microsoft has since labeled Internet Explorer a "compatibility solution" rather than a browser and encouraged businesses to stop using the aging browser in favour of Edge and its IE mode.

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