What is Internet Explorer?

Internet Explorer (IE) is one of the most popular web browsers developed by Microsoft. It comes pre-installed on Windows tablets and computers with Windows 8.1 versions or earlier. It was introduced in 1995 and was included as part of the operating system lines of Microsoft Windows. Its popularity continued to peak during 2002-2003 - with more than ninety percent of the browser market share. But then, Google Chrome and Firefox entered the scene, which makes its number of users heavily declined.

Even if that's the case, though, Internet Explorer shows no signs of disappearing and will continue to serve millions of users worldwide for hassle-free browsing. And again, although several websites neither write interesting tutorials and articles over IE nor cover it across-the-board, it still manages to be one of the most used browsers these days. It is closely linked to the Windows Operating System. Hence, various Windows versions could only operate specific versions of IE.

Is Internet Explorer Still Supported?

Since 2016, Microsoft stopped supporting the versions of Internet Explorer. Though, the newest version (version 11) is the exemption. It is recommended to upgrade your Windows copy if you're still using the Windows' older version, which does not support the IE 11. Users have confirmed a few security issues with the older versions of the system. The disheartening part is that these problems will never be fixed. Using it will only make you susceptible to all forms of issues over the web. Gmail, YouTube, and Facebook are just some of the websites that are no longer supported by Internet Explorer's former versions.

So, When Is Internet Explorer Going to Be Not Pre-Installed or Supported by Windows Anymore?

The idea of removing the IE from Windows was proposed during the case of the United States against Microsoft Corp. Security advocates eventually acquired the idea as a means of protecting the Windows systems from potential attacks through several vulnerabilities of Internet Explorer. The process of eliminating the IE from personal computers has altered over the version history of the browser.

A special version of Windows 7, Windows 7 E was then proposed to ship without the IE in Europe due to EU antitrust investigations against the developer. But Microsoft received negative reactions from computer manufacturers, which forced them to cancel the Windows 7 E editions. Microsoft introduced the Microsoft Edge in 2015, replacing the status of Internet Explorer as the Windows 10 default browser.

As for Windows 10, Microsoft recently confirmed that it would never remove Internet Explorer 11 as a standalone browser in the said version in spite of the introduction of IE mode in Edge. But if you get bored using the system, you can do some upgrades to make it privacy-focused, quick, and reliable. Many suggest downloading and installing the UR Browser tool as it blocks cookies and third-party browsers from selling and having access to your personal information.

While the IE 11 version is being used today and pre-installed on Windows 10, though it's not pinned onto the taskbar by default. So, new users are suggested to search for it from the Windows Accessories folder that can be found in the Start menu.

Who's Still Using IE?

Internet Explorer is not an unused app contrary to some beliefs. Average users might think that Safari, Firefox, and Chrome have larger shares of the browser market, but not in the corporate world. Small to big companies rely on the system to maintain security, control over features, etc.

What's your side of the story? Share with us what you think!