Internet Explorer 11 is still not dead and will live another day

Microsoft ended support for its Internet Explorer 11 browser on Windows 10 in 2022. The company then explained that it would remove the browser from Windows 10 systems, stating that it would disable Internet Explorer 11 on most Windows 10 devices in February 2023.

The company revealed as well that it would remove “visual references to Internet Explorer” in the June 2023 update for Windows 10.

A new message on Microsoft’s Message Center website confirms that Microsoft has had a change of heart regarding Internet Explorer 11’s retirement.

The message, “New details on IE11 desktop application next steps”, informs customers that Microsoft won’t remove visual references of the Internet Explorer 11 web browser from customer systems. Microsoft wants organizations to remove Internet Explorer 11 visual references whenever they feel it is the right time to do so.

Microsoft says: “Based on customer feedback, Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) visual references, such as the IE11 icons on the Start Menu and taskbar, will no longer be removed by Windows update as previously communicated. Organizations will continue to maintain control over determining the timing to remove IE11 visual references from their devices, if they have not already done so, by using the Disable IE policy”

Systems which still have a copy of Internet Explorer 11 will face a change in the coming months according to Microsoft. The company wants to redirect ” a small subset of exceptional scenarios” from Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge automatically. This is done to make sure that access to these services and sites is still possible and that a “more secure Microsoft browser” is used for access.

Microsoft has not revealed the list of scenarios, but announced that it will provide details in the Windows and Microsoft Edge release notes when the change lands.

Internet Explorer 11 ran out of support on June 15, 2022 on most Windows 10 editions. The browser has not received many updates since then and has been disabled on most non-managed devices with an update released on February 14, 2023.

The web browser remains supported on a small subset of Windows 10 devices, including Windows 10 and Windows 10 Server LTSC versions. The full list of devices is available here.

The change does not affect the majority of home users, but Internet Explorer 11 may still be in use on Windows 10 devices in business and Enterprise environments.

Now You: when was the last time you used  Internet Explorer? (via Neowin)