Microsoft releases update for Windows that permanently disables Internet Explorer

The company has been trying to phase out the browser for almost 8 years.

Software giant Microsoft has definitively and irrevocably abandoned Internet Explorer, permanently disabling the browser through the Microsoft Edge update released on February 14.

Microsoft officially discontinued the use of Internet Explorer in June last year, opting for Microsoft Edge and officially ending support for IE 11. The latest update ensures that you will no longer be able to launch the outdated browser on most client versions of Windows 10.

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