Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 11 next year over its Microsoft 365 apps and services. In exactly one year, on August 17, 2021, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported for Microsoft’s online services such as Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook, and more. Microsoft will also end support for Internet Explorer 11 later this year with the Microsoft Teams web app, with support ending on November 30.
While it may still take some time to get enterprise users away from Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft hopes that the new Internet Explorer legacy mode in the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser will help. It will continue to allow companies to access old sites specifically built for Internet Explorer, until Microsoft drops full support for Internet Explorer 11 within Windows 10. Microsoft’s move to stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 with them main web properties is a good first step, though.
In addition to the support changes, Microsoft also plans to drop support for its existing legacy version of Microsoft Edge on March 9, 2021. After the end of the support date, the legacy version of Edge will no longer receive security updates. Microsoft has moved existing Windows 10 users to the new Chromium-based Edge browser, and the company says new devices and future Windows feature updates will all include the new Edge browser.
Microsoft has been working for years to kill the use and support of Internet Explorer. The company first unveiled its new Edge browser back in 2015, code currently called Project Spartan. It was the beginning of the end for the Internet Explorer brand. Microsoft has since labeled Internet Explorer a “compatibility solution” instead of a browser and encouraged companies to stop using the aging browser.
