Microsoft warns Internet Explorer is finally dying and it's sooner than you'd expect
Internet Explorer is finally coming to an end after it was first released during the dawn of the internet back in 1995.
The internet browser launched by Microsoft was not one of the first to enter the market but quickly became one of the most popular after the tech giant enticed consumers with its Windows bundle.
However, in 2015, Internet Explorer was officially retired, with it only existing in IE Mode, which is a built-in feature in the Microsoft Edge browser that allows you to view older, legacy websites and internal business apps built specifically for Internet Explorer 11.
Now, it seems that even that will be coming to an end and it might be happening sooner than you’d expect.
Advert
This is because the firm has now announced that even IE Mode will become obsolete, with the feature expected to be gone by the end of 2029.
So, if you still want to access the retired browser then you’ll need to do so while you still can.
How to access Internet Explorer mode
Using Microsoft Edge, type in ‘edge://settings/defaultBrowser’ and press Enter. From there, you should see Internet Explorer compatibility, which you will need to select Allow on the ‘Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode’ dropdown.
After this is complete, all you need to do is restart Microsoft Edge to begin using the archaic browser.
If you want to open up a website in Internet Explorer mode then you’ll need to first navigate to that site and select the option of ‘Settings and more’ in the top right hand corner.
From there, you can click to reload the page in Internet Explorer mode.
The rise of Internet Explorer in the 90s
After entering the market in 1995, Internet Explorer’s popularity began to climb, peaking at around 2002 with a whopping 95% share of market usage.
The integration of the browser with Windows sparked a lawsuit by AOL, the firm behind competitor Netscape, which accused Microsoft of unfair competition.
AOL eventually came out victorious in the case but it was far too late to change AOL’s fate as Internet Explorer had already become a dominant browser.
Internet Explorer went on to achieve global success and enjoyed dominance of the industry until 2010 when it dropped below 50% for the first time. By 2012, its fate was sealed as Google Chrome officially took over as the most used web browser in the world.