Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer

Logo used for Internet Explorer in Modern IE 10-11 and Microsoft's website
Internet Explorer 11 running on Windows 7
Original author(s)	Thomas Reardon
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	August 16, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-08-16)
Stable release(s)
Version 11
Preview release(s) [±]
N/A [±]
Development status	Not maintained (support for most some versions of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server ended on June 15, 2022)[1]
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, Windows Server
Included with	Windows 95 OSR1 and later Windows NT 4 and later Mac OS 8.1 through Mac OS X 10.2 Xbox 360 Xbox One
Engines	Trident, Chakra
Platform	IA-32, x64, ARMv7, IA-64
Standard(s)	HTML5, CSS3, WOFF, SVG, RSS, Atom, JPEG XR
Available in	95 languages[2]
Type	Web browser, feed reader
License	Proprietary[3]
Website	support.microsoft.com/en-my/help/17621/internet-explorer-downloads
Internet Explorer versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Internet Explorer (IE); formerly known as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, was a series of graphical web browsers made by Microsoft. It was part of the Microsoft Windows operating system, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Later versions were free downloads, or in service packs, and included in releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows.

IE was the most popular web browser in 1999, with up to 95% usage share during 2002/2003 with IE5 and IE6. Since its peak of popularity, its usage share has decreased to 55% due to rival web browsers and is slowly trending downward. Microsoft spent over $100 million per year on IE^[4] in the late 1990s, with over 1000 people working on it by 1999.^[5]

The latest release is Internet Explorer 11. Internet Explorer was originally planned to be removed from Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in Europe. Still, Microsoft later dropped the plans and instead included a browser ballot screen with the products, allowing users to select a different web browser if they wish.^[6][7][8][9]

Versions of Internet Explorer for other operating systems have also been produced, including an embedded OEM version called Internet Explorer for Windows CE (IE CE), available for WinCE based platforms and currently based on IE6; Internet Explorer for Pocket PC, was rebranded Internet Explorer Mobile, which is made for Windows Mobile and Windows CE. It remains in development alongside the more advanced desktop versions, and the discontinued Internet Explorer for Mac and Internet Explorer for UNIX (Solaris and HP-UX).

Windows 10 comes with a new web browser called Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer 11 was still included but was meant for sites not working properly with the new rendering engine in Microsoft Edge. When Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 were released in 2021, Internet Explorer 11 was removed in both versions of Microsoft Windows and replaced by Microsoft Edge. The last version of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 11, reached the end of service on June 15, 2022, and was removed from Windows 10. On Windows 10 IoT/LTSB/LTSC (Windows 10 Long-Term Servicing Channel), on Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and earlier it'll continue past that point. Microsoft is replacing Internet Explorer with Internet Explorer mode on Microsoft Edge, a newer web browser by Microsoft released on April 29, 2015.

1. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Microsoft Edge Development. Microsoft. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. The latest features and platform updates will only be available in Microsoft Edge. We will continue to deliver security updates to Internet Explorer 11 through its supported lifespan. To ensure consistent behavior across Windows versions, we will evaluate Internet Explorer 11 bugs for servicing on a case by case basis.
2. ↑ "Archived MSDN and TechNet Blogs". learn.microsoft.com. August 28, 2023. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
3. ↑ "Microsoft Pre-Release Software License Terms: Internet Explorer 11 Developer Preview". microsoft.com. Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
4. ↑ "Victor: Software empire pays high price | CNET News.com". News.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
5. ↑ "Memoirs From the Browser Wars". Ericsink.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
6. ↑ "?". Irish Times.^{[dead link]}
7. ↑ "After years of fighting, Microsoft and EU settle antitrust case without rancor". The Seattle Times. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
8. ↑ "Brussels accepts Microsoft's browser offer". Financial Times. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009.
9. ↑ "In E.U. Deal, Microsoft Allows Rival Browsers". Time. December 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010.