According to a statement from Microsoft, Internet Explorer end-of-life updates for earlier Windows versions will continue through 2023.
Microsoft let the legacy browser work on many older versions, including Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Edu, and IoT, while ending support for it on the current Windows 11 operating system version on June 15.
Microsoft further announced on its Windows Message Center page that the company now intends to end support for Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) on these older system versions as well, starting on February 14, 2023.
The company has now made its intentions known to give companies and professional associations enough time to switch from Internet Explorer to a new browser, i.e. Microsoft Edge. Since the beginning of 2020, Edge has been the company’s main browser. However, both browsers ran on Windows systems up until IE end-of-life actions started in 2022, giving users options.
After the Windows Update is released, Microsoft now cautions that “continued reliance on IE11 may cause business disruption.”
Starting with deleting IE visual references from their systems, administrators in charge of updates should remove IE visual references from their systems. Removing IE visual references is an admin-level task requiring the use of Disable IE policy. This is what must be done before February 14, 2023. Organizations risk losing access to IE11-reliant programmes if it is not finished before then.
Businesses that have already updated to Microsoft Edge as their default browser are exempt from further action on February 14.
Just like Windows 11, Microsoft’s end-of-life for Windows 10 will also be rolled out in stages. The Windows 10 Start Menu and taskbar will no longer contain any visual references to IE11 after a June 2023 update, including IE11 icons. On May 23, 2023, the update will also be released as a non-security preview for a subset of Windows 10 editions.
Internet explorer lives on Microsoft Edge in a “Reload in IE mode” option located in its taskbar to help you to get accustomed to using the more recent browser. You can view webpages and applications based on legacy scripts and code in Internet Explorer mode in a more compatible way.