Microsoft last May announced that it would be killing off Internet Explorer in its traditional form this year. The announcement came as little surprise, given that a year earlier, the company said it would be dropping support for the browser in Microsoft 365 and it started redirecting some websites from IE to Edge a few months later. Microsoft understands there are those who still rely on IE for compatibility or purely nostalgic reasons. The company is pointing that small group to Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge, which allows access to legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications directly from the Chromium-based newer browser. It appears that Microsoft expects certain entities to require IE access for some time yet; Internet Explorer Mode in Edge will be supported through at least 2029. But Windows 8.1 users will see the end of IE Mode on January 10, 2023, and Windows 7’s Extended Security Update users lose it on January 15, 2023. According to Statcounter, IE still retains a 1.14% share of the desktop browser global market share, while Edge is on 9.6%. Expect Internet Explorer’s numbers to drop even further later this year.
