Why Internet Explorer 11 Is Officially Retired and What It Means for Windows Users

Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) has officially retired. Microsoft announced that support for IE 11 on Windows 10 ends on June 15 2022, and the browser will no longer be available on Windows 10 client SKUs (20H2 and later) or Windows 10 IoT (20H2 and later).

Although Windows will continue to receive updates, there will be no further IE‑specific patches or branding. IE’s performance lags far behind modern browsers—average page loads take about 10 seconds compared to near‑instant loads in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari—making it a security nightmare for users and a major pain point for web developers.

Market data shows that in 2021 only about 1 % of users still used IE, with the vast majority having switched to Chrome or Edge. Security experts warn that IE’s legacy code is vulnerable to zero‑day exploits.

After retirement, IE desktop applications will automatically redirect to Edge, and future Windows updates will permanently disable IE. Users should not uninstall IE 11 because Edge’s IE compatibility mode relies on it.

According to Lansweeper, roughly 46 % of Windows 10 devices could be affected, meaning administrators still have work to do.

Systems that are not affected include:

Microsoft Edge’s IE mode

IE 11 desktop application on Windows 7 ESU, Windows 8.1, Windows Server LTSC (all versions), Windows Server 2022, Windows 10 IoT LTSC (all versions), and Windows 10 client LTSC (all versions)

Users who still need IE can use Edge’s IE compatibility mode, which Microsoft has pledged to support at least until 2029, subject to the underlying Windows OS lifecycle.

China remains the top region for IE usage, far ahead of other countries. Many major websites and services—including Microsoft 365, Teams, GitHub, and LinkedIn—have already dropped IE support.

IE was first released in 1995 bundled with Windows 95, once dominating the market, but its performance and security never caught up with competitors.

For more details, see the “death‑to‑IE11” countdown site: https://death-to-ie11.com/ .

Author: Luo Yi