Microsoft starts automatically redirecting Internet Explorer users to Edge

Microsoft will start automatically redirecting Internet Explorer users to its Edge browser over the next few months, and consumers or businesses still using the browser will start to see a prompt soon that will redirect them to Microsoft Edge instead.

The first step in fully removing Internet Explorer from existing PCs, and Microsoft plans to issue an update that will disable the aging browser in the future. “Eventually, Internet Explorer will be disabled permanently as part of a future Windows Update, at which point the Internet Explorer icons on their devices will be removed,” explains Sean Lyndersay, general manager of Microsoft Edge Enterprise.

Redirecting to Edge will transfer data such as passwords, favorites and settings from Internet Explorer and a “reload in IE mode” option will be displayed in the toolbar for easy access. special mode that Microsoft has integrated in Edge. IE mode supports older ActiveX controls that many older sites still use.

All currently supported versions of Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT will be engaged by the Internet Explorer retirement today. Windows 11 already ships without Internet Explorer. “Internet Explorer will not be immediately removed on all these versions today but will be progressively redirected to Microsoft Edge on all these devices over the next few months,” says Lyndersay.

However, there will be one important exception. “For some versions of Windows that are currently supported and used in critical environments, we will continue to support Internet Explorer on those versions until they reach the end of support,” Lyndersay revealed. . “These include all currently supported Windows 10 LTSC releases (including IoT) and all versions of Windows Server as well as Windows 10 China Government Edition, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 with Security Updates. extended secret (ESU).”

Future versions of these versions of Windows will not include Internet Explorer and the underlying MSHTML (Trident) platform, and the COM controls in Windows will continue to be supported on all Windows platforms. Microsoft is also planning to support IE mode in Microsoft Edge "at least until 2029."

Technically, Internet Explorer could last a little longer, but the message from Microsoft is clear: "the future of Internet Explorer is in Microsoft Edge."

Source: www.theverge.com