Microsoft will close its Internet Explorer browser after 27 years on Wednesday, closing the book on what was the first introduction of many people on the web.
Internet Explorer will be “retired” starting June 15, which means that most consumers trying to open the app will go to Edge, Microsoft’s latest browser. Microsoft will begin completely disabling the software in the coming months.
Microsoft launched Internet Explorer in 1995 in an attempt to challenge the then-dominant Netscape Navigator during the telephone connection era. Bill Gates’ decision to install the Windows browser by default threatened Microsoft’s future in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it sparked fierce competition fights with US and European regulators.
Microsoft introduced Edge in 2015 and has phased out Internet Explorer. However, the browser is still used by about 5.2 pc of desktop web users, according to Net Market Share figures.
Internet Explorer was once the dominant browser, but it struggled to keep pace with Google’s Firefox and Chrome innovations, such as tabs and pop-up blockers, and looked clumsy. The dominance of Apple and Google’s mobile operating systems meant that the browser failed to master the smartphones.
Repeated releases failed, and Microsoft introduced the Edge browser along with the Windows 10 operating system in 2015.
Although the company puts its efforts behind Edge, many companies continue to use internal applications running on Internet Explorer. It means the shutdown could disrupt office life. Microsoft has added Internet Explorer mode to Edge to allow these applications to stay active, while some specific versions of Windows used by IT departments will support the software. Windows 11, the new operating system introduced last year, does not run Internet Explorer.
Google Chrome is the dominant web browser on desktop computers with around 70% of the market, followed by Edge and Firefox. In 2013, the EU fined Microsoft 561 million euros (£ 486 million) for not offering users a selection of browsers when installing Windows.