Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Will No Longer Be Available Starting February 2023

Internet Explorer will no longer be available starting next year or in February 2023, to be more exact. According to Microsoft, an Edge update is completely killing the OG internet browser.

The iconic web browser started phasing out last June 15 after the Redmond giant ended its support for Internet Explorer.

Although it marked its end, it is not completely unavailable. But that is about to change next year.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer To Be Disabled Next Year

As per the latest report by XDA Developers, Microsoft now says that its Internet Explorer for Windows is completely bidding farewell next year.

Since the tech giant phased out the web browser, the tech giant kept mum when its complete end was coming.

But this time, the Remond-based tech behemoth confirmed that it is completely disabling Internet Explorer beginning on Valentine's day or on February 14. It turns out that a Microsoft Edge update will be killing off the legacy browser on that day.

Once the said Edge version rolls out, it entirely disabled Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 10 users.

According to a news story by Bleeping Computer, the renowned tech firm previously said that a Windows update is disabling Internet Explorer. However, the Redmond giant is now saying that an Edge update is doing it instead.

Microsoft announced that "the out-of-support Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop application is scheduled to be permanently disabled on certain versions of Windows 10 devices on February 14, 2023, through a Microsoft Edge update, not a Windows update as previously communicated."

Given that, the tech firm says that all devices, which can still access Internet Explorer 11, are now set to be redirected to Edge starting Feb. 2023.

So if you are still accessing the phased-out web browser on Windows 10, your time is running out. Soon enough, you will be redirected to the Chromium-based Edge.

But is it really the endgame for the classical Internet Explorer? Well, not really. There is still a way to relive it, sort of. Edge still offers an IE mode, which will be around until 2029.

How to Access IE Mode on Microsoft Edge

Bleeping Computer notes in its report the IE Mode for Edge works with backward compatibility. Given that, if you are opening a website that needs an Internet Explorer browser, this mode allows users to do just that.

To enable it manually, go to the edge://settings/defaultbrowser. From there, toggle on the option to "Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer." After which, restart Microsoft Edge to apply changes.