Internet Explorer dies today, but its spirit lives on in Microsoft Edge

If you’re still using Internet Explorer, here’s what you need to do.

- MARK HACHMAN

The day has finally arrived: Microsoft has killed off Internet Explorer. Or has it? The answer to that is: well, sort of. Microsoft has said (fave.co/3u4urtZ) for years that it plans to replace the venerable Internet Explorer browser in favor of a more secure option: Microsoft Edge (fave.co/3tJIdC2). Today, Internet Explorer 11 ends support for most users, which means the browser won’t receive any additional support or patches going forward. If Internet Explorer is discovered to be vulnerable to malware, for example, you’re on your own.

But who will be affected by Microsoft’s decision, and what can you do about it? We have the answers below.

Here’s the big picture: For years, Microsoft has maintained Internet Explorer alongside Microsoft Edge. But just as in the tale of the three pigs, some of the pigs have lived in the house of straw (Internet Explorer), while others have lived in the house of bricks (Microsoft Edge). Like a good landlord, Microsoft has continually patched Internet Explorer, sealing up the cracks and shoring up the foundation. But no matter what, Internet Explorer will always be a house of straw. All Microsoft is doing is evicting its residents to something it believes will be safer to live in. That’s essentially the same rationale it used to establish the hardware requirements for Windows 11 (fave. co/3C7aDbn), incidentally.