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Internet Explorer 11
Internet Explorer 11
Internet Explorer 11
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Internet Explorer 11
DeveloperMicrosoft
Initial releaseOctober 17, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-10-17)[1]
Stable release
11.0 (11.0.9600.22824) / October 14, 2025; 3 months ago (2025-10-14)[2]
EngineMSHTML v8.0, Chakra
Operating systemWindows 7 SP1
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Windows Embedded 8 Standard
Windows Server 2012
PlatformIA-32, x64, and ARM
Included withWindows 8.1
Windows RT
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 10
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2022
PredecessorInternet Explorer 10 (2012)
SuccessorMicrosoft Edge Legacy (2015)
Size28–53 MB
LicenseProprietary, requires a Windows license[3]
WebsiteInternet Explorer 11 (archived at Wayback Machine)

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is the eleventh and final version of the Internet Explorer web browser. It was initially included in the release of Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 on October 17, 2013, and was later released for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 on November 7, 2013. It is the successor to Internet Explorer 10, released the previous year, and was the original, default browser in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Internet Explorer 11 was also included in the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, as well as in Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019. On April 16, 2019, Internet Explorer 11 was made available to Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard as the final expansion of Internet Explorer 11 availability.[4][5] Internet Explorer 11, like its predecessor, is not available for Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and earlier versions of Windows and Windows Server.

Microsoft adjusted their product lifecycle policies to only support the most recent version of Internet Explorer offered for any given version of Windows on January 12, 2016,[6] and later expanded to Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard on January 31, 2020.[7] Support for Internet Explorer 11, now regarded as an "OS component", is bound to the version of the Windows it is installed on. Thus, Microsoft provides updates only to currently supported versions of Windows. This includes Windows 10 LTSC (formerly LTSB), and supported Windows Server versions, which will continue to receive IE11 updates until their respective end-of-support dates. The exception to this is the Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel (SAC). For SAC versions of Windows 10, Internet Explorer 11 support ended on June 15, 2022, and it was permanently disabled on February 14, 2023. Any remaining icons or shortcuts were due to be removed on June 13, 2023, however, on May 19, 2023, various organizations disapproved, leading Microsoft to withdraw the change.[8][9] Furthermore, despite Microsoft's alleged permanent IE11 disablement, IE11 can still be accessed in some capacity using unofficial methods.[10]

IE Mode, a feature of Microsoft Edge, enables Edge to display web pages using Internet Explorer 11's Trident layout engine and other core components.[11] Through IE Mode, the underlying technology of Internet Explorer 11 partially exists on Windows that do not support Internet Explorer as a proper application, such as Windows 11 and later versions that derive from the Windows 11 codebase.[12] Microsoft has announced support for IE Mode through at least 2029, with a one-year advance notice before retiring this variant of IE11.[8]

Internet Explorer 11 is already retired and out of support (i.e. most often the desktop browser was disabled and Edge took its place), for e.g. Home and Pro (with some paid ESU exception to 2028[13]), with some exceptions such as for the Windows 10 China Government Edition,[14] and the Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge remains, so in that sense the core of IE 11 (its rendering engine) remains supported.[15] Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 (for specialized devices – for example, those that control medical equipment or automated teller machines[15]) has end of support on January 13, 2032, and with it support for Internet Explorer 11 fully ends (if not sooner in 2029 as explained above).

Changes

[edit]
Screenshot of the Internet Explorer 11 Enhanced Security Configuration page

IE11 features redesigned developer tools,[16] support for WebGL,[17] enhanced scaling for high DPI screens,[18] prerender and prefetch.[19] After launch IE11 got support for HTTP/2.[20][21][22] In addition, IE11 supports Full Screen and Orientation APIs, CSS border image support, JavaScript enhancements, DOM mutation observers, Web Cryptography API, video text track support, encrypted media support and an improved HTML editor.[23] IE11 uses Transport Layer Security v1.2 as the default protocol for secure connections and deprecates RC4 cipher suite.[24]

The "document mode" feature in the developer toolset (F12) allows simulating the rendering behaviour of Internet Explorer versions 5 to 10 to facilitate testing pages for compatibility.[25]

Internet Explorer 11 for Windows RT does not support Java and other add-ons.[26]

Removed features

[edit]
  • IE11 has deprecated document.all, meaning that code that checks for its presence will not detect it, but code that actually uses it will continue to work.[27] Additionally, the attachEvent proprietary API has been removed.[23]
  • Quick Tabs (Ctrl+Q)[28]
  • Work Offline command removed from File menu[29]
  • Drag and drop of selected content from IE to other programs like Word or WordPad[citation needed]
  • Use large icons for command buttons
  • Some Group Policy settings are no longer supported.[30]
  • Ability to view all cookies at once via Developer Tools
  • Ability to disable tabbed browsing
  • autocomplete="off" for input type="password"

Added features

[edit]

Performance

[edit]

In a November 2013 review by SitePoint, IE11 scored better than Google Chrome 30 and Firefox 26 in WebKit's SunSpider test and Google's WebGL test. It tied with Chrome for fastest in Microsoft's "fish aquarium" benchmark for WebGL and came last in Google's V8 performance benchmark. As a result of the speed improvements, the reviewer said "if you switched to Chrome for speed alone, you're now using the wrong browser." IE11 was also observed to use less memory with multiple tabs open than contemporary versions of Chrome and Firefox.[23]

In August 2015, SitePoint again benchmarked IE11 in its review for Microsoft Edge [Legacy], where Edge 12, Chrome 44 and Firefox 39 were also present. IE11 came last in Apple's JetStream test (which replaced SunSpider) and Google's Octane test (which replaces V8) but it came second in Microsoft's "fish aquarium" test, after Edge.[33]

History

[edit]

Though an internal build of IE11 was leaked on March 25, 2013,[34] its first preview version was not formally released until June 2013, during the Build 2013 conference, along with the preview release of Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1.[35] On July 25, 2013, Microsoft released the developer preview of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.[36][37]

Legend:
Unsupported
Latest version
Preview version
History of Internet Explorer releases
Name Version Release date Works on New features
Unsupported: Developer Preview Unsupported: 11.0.9431.0[38] June 26, 2013[35] Windows 8.1 Preview WebGL, CSS border image, improved JavaScript performance, major update to Internet Explorer Developer Tools,[37] hardware-accelerated JPEG decoding,[39] closed captioning, HTML5 full screen,[40] HTML5 prerender, HTML5 prefetch

Windows 8.1 only: cryptography (WebCrypto),[37] adaptive bitrate streaming (Media Source Extensions),[41] Encrypted Media Extensions,[40] SPDY v3[21]

July 25, 2013[38] Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2[37]
Unsupported: Release Preview Unsupported: 11.0.9600.16384[42] September 17, 2013[42] Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2[43] Performance improvements
Unsupported: Internet Explorer 11 Unsupported: 11.0.9600.16384[44] October 17, 2013 Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022 Uses the same build number as the Release Preview.[44]

Released for Windows 10, where Microsoft Edge is the default browser from Microsoft in this version of Windows. Internet Explorer is set up to run websites, based on legacy HTML technologies, which are not, or improperly, supported in Microsoft Edge.

Latest version: Internet Explorer 11 Latest version: 11.0.9600.22824[2] October 14, 2025 Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
  • KB5066840: Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer: October 14, 2025.[2]

While there were no other releases of Internet Explorer, an update for Windows 7 and 8.1 was released on April 2, 2014, which added Enterprise Mode, improved developer tools, improved support for WebGL and ECMAScript 5.1.[45]

With the release of Windows 11, Windows Server Insider Build 22463 and later,[46] Internet Explorer is no longer preinstalled on any new devices (the application that is, while its core component is due to Microsoft's integration of IE in Windows), but users can still launch Internet Explorer from the Control Panel's browser toolbar settings on or via the PowerShell. Microsoft Edge is the only preinstalled browser in the operating system. An Internet Explorer mode is however provided in Microsoft Edge to run legacy websites.[12] On February 14, 2023, Microsoft permanently disabled IE11 on the Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) as part of a Microsoft Edge update released on February 14, 2023.[9] IE11 visual references, such as the IE11 icons on the Start Menu and taskbar, were set to be removed from Windows 10 SAC by the June 2023 Windows security update ("B" release) on June 13, 2023, however this decision has been reverted.[8]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Internet Explorer 11

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is the eleventh and final major version of Microsoft's proprietary , , first released on October 17, 2013, as part of and , with a standalone version for SP1 released on November 7, 2013. It was developed to deliver faster performance, stronger security, and enhanced compatibility with modern web standards while maintaining for legacy applications. IE11 was made available for SP1, , , SP1, and , providing a consistent experience across these platforms. Key improvements in IE11 focused on security and privacy, including an enhanced version of that isolates browsing sessions to prevent , a more robust , and default support for (TLS) 1.2 to secure connections. The browser also introduced Enterprise Mode, which emulates older IE versions to ensure compatibility with enterprise web applications, along with features like out-of-date control blocking and (DNT) signaling for privacy. On the performance side, IE11 accelerated execution and supported advanced web technologies such as for 3D graphics, Canvas 2D Level 2, Fullscreen API, , and CSS Flexible Box Layout. Developer tools in IE11 were significantly upgraded with the F12 tools, offering improved , DOM exploration, and compatibility inspection to aid . Additionally, it supported (HSTS) to enforce secure connections on participating sites. Although IE11 marked the end of major updates to the Internet Explorer line, Microsoft continued providing security updates until its retirement, with the desktop application reaching end of support on June 15, 2022, for Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel versions (and being permanently disabled via a Microsoft Edge update on February 14, 2023), while support for Windows Server and LTSC editions continues per their OS lifecycles. As of 2025, Microsoft continues to provide security updates for IE11 on supported Windows Server and LTSC editions. Post-retirement for affected versions, legacy compatibility is maintained through Internet Explorer mode in , supported at least until 2029.

Development and Release

Development

The development of Internet Explorer 11 began with an internal build that leaked on March 25, 2013, revealing an early string identifying the browser as "Mozilla... like ," which sparked confusion over its identity by mimicking Firefox's rendering engine and dropping the traditional "MSIE" identifier to avoid legacy CSS hacks. This leak also highlighted an initial emphasis on performance enhancements, including marginal improvements in support to better align with emerging web standards. Microsoft released the Developer Preview of Internet Explorer 11 on June 26, 2013, bundled with the Preview, to enable early testing and feedback from developers. This preview showcased capabilities, such as support with a software-based renderer to complement GPU processing for 2D and 3D graphics, alongside offloading of image loading and video rendering to the GPU for extended battery life on mobile devices. Network prioritization was introduced to handle resource loading more efficiently—prioritizing root documents, CSS, fonts, scripts, and images—while independent tab suspension aimed to reduce memory usage by limiting background tab activity. On July 25, 2013, Microsoft issued the Developer Preview for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, extending access to IE11's advancements beyond the newer OS and allowing demonstrations of key features like enhanced JavaScript execution via the Chakra engine. This release included GPU-accelerated rendering for fonts, images, and WebGL content, with built-in safeguards to prevent crashes from demanding graphics tasks, as shown in demos like the GlacierWorks climate visualization. Throughout development, Microsoft pursued a strategic shift to position IE11 as a standards-compliant browser, promoting the use of "edge mode" via HTML5 doctype declarations to encourage modern web practices while preserving backward compatibility through configurable document modes for enterprise legacy applications. Core goals included optimizing the Chakra JavaScript engine for faster parsing and execution, minimizing the memory footprint via efficient tab management, and deepening integration with Windows 8.1's touch interfaces to support device orientation for immersive 3D experiences on touch-enabled hardware.

Release

Internet Explorer 11 was officially released on October 17, 2013, bundled as the default browser with , 8.1, and R2. The browser's launch was previewed and announced at Microsoft's BUILD 2013 developer conference in late June, where company executives emphasized its deep integration with the Windows ecosystem, including enhanced touch support and seamless app experiences on touch-enabled devices. For users of and , Internet Explorer 11 became available as a standalone update via beginning November 7, 2013, with manual downloads offered through the Microsoft Download Center. The initial release carried version number 11.0.9600.16384 on and related platforms, while the Windows 7 edition used 11.0.9600.16428.

Technical Changes

Added Features

Internet Explorer 11 introduced a redesigned F12 developer tools interface, enhancing debugging capabilities with features such as source map designation for handling shipped code without explicit comments, autocomplete in the Watches panel, return value inspection in the Locals section during function stepping, multi-select for breakpoints, and event breakpoints with conditional filters. Memory analysis tools were improved through dominator folding to simplify snapshots by eliminating redundant objects, colorization of DOM elements, string literals, and numbers for visual clarity, roots cycle filtering to reduce circular reference clutter, and import/export functionality for saving and loading sessions. Network monitoring received updates including UI responsiveness tool enhancements like import/export of performance sessions, image previews for HTTP requests, event filtering by name, activity, or time thresholds, frame grouping for analysis, and support for user-defined measures via performance.mark() and performance.measure() APIs. Native WebGL support was added to enable 3D graphics rendering directly in the browser without requiring plugins, leveraging library for translation to , and subsequent updates improved performance with 16-bit floating point textures, occlusion queries, and compressed texture formats. High DPI scaling enhancements were implemented to provide better support for high-resolution displays and touch devices, including dynamic DPI awareness to adjust rendering and UI elements appropriately across monitors with varying pixel densities. Prerendering and prefetching mechanisms were introduced to accelerate page loads, utilizing the attribute to speculatively render linked pages in the background and for prefetching anticipated resources, with support limited to up to ten prefetch requests per page. Several new APIs were added, including the Full Screen API for immersive video and application experiences, the Screen Orientation API for controlling device orientation in responsive designs, the Web Cryptography API (via msCrypto prefix) for secure cryptographic operations in , support for video text tracks in HTML5 media elements to enable , and (EME) for integrating with video playback without plugins. TLS 1.2 was enabled by default as the preferred secure protocol, enhancing encryption strength, while the cipher was deprecated and later fully removed due to cryptographic vulnerabilities. support was added post-launch via updates in 2015, specifically with the November Update, enabling multiplexed streams, header compression, and server push for improved performance over HTTP/1.1. The Chakra JavaScript engine was enhanced with just-in-time (JIT) compilation improvements, including optimizations to reduce computation times for dynamic code execution and better integration with the browser's rendering pipeline.

Removed Features

Internet Explorer 11 discontinued several legacy features from previous versions to align with contemporary web standards and integrate better with Windows functionality. One notable removal was the Quick Tabs thumbnail view, accessible via Ctrl+Q, which had provided a visual overview of open tabs; this was replaced by Windows' integrated taskbar previews for a more unified experience across applications. The "Work Offline" command was eliminated from the , as the feature's functionality was deemed redundant with improved connectivity handling in . In terms of developer tools and compatibility, the document.all was deprecated and rendered non-functional in standards mode, with the F12 developer tools issuing warnings for its use to encourage adoption of standard DOM methods like querySelector. This change aimed to reduce code reliance, though legacy code using it would still execute in compatibility modes. The attachEvent method was completely removed, compelling developers to use the standard addEventListener for event handling, thereby promoting cross-browser consistency.) Drag-and-drop support for selected content from IE11 to external applications, such as or , was discontinued, limiting inter-application data transfer to clipboard operations or other modern APIs. Certain settings were discontinued, including options to disable tabbed browsing or directly view , as these were seen as outdated in favor of more granular configurations. For security enhancement, IE11 ignored the autocomplete="off" attribute on password fields, always prompting users for storage decisions to prevent websites from disabling password managers and thereby improving user protection against credential theft. This decision prioritized user control over site-specified behaviors.

Performance

Improvements

Internet Explorer 11 introduced significant architectural optimizations focused on enhancing overall speed and efficiency, building on the Trident rendering engine with advancements in resource utilization. One key improvement was the advancement in , where the browser offloaded graphics and text rendering tasks, such as image decoding and WebGL operations, to the GPU, thereby reducing the CPU load and improving rendering performance. Memory management saw notable optimizations, enabling a lower when handling multiple tabs open simultaneously compared to , which supported smoother tab switching and the ability to maintain up to 100 tabs per window without significant degradation. These enhancements stemmed from refined allocation strategies that minimized overhead in tab processes. Startup times were accelerated through streamlined initialization processes and intelligent caching mechanisms, including background pre-fetching of content to ensure pages loaded almost instantaneously upon launch. On mobile devices running , Internet Explorer 11 improved battery life through efficient resource allocation, leveraging GPU offloading for intensive tasks and power-optimized video streaming to extend usage duration. The Chakra JavaScript engine received enhancements that boosted execution efficiency, providing faster and more responsive handling of JavaScript on everyday websites without relying on specific numerical benchmarks. Additionally, integration with Windows 8.1's touch-optimized user interface delivered smoother interactions, featuring responsive touch gestures like panning, zooming, and swiping that adhered closely to user input, along with a touch-friendly address bar offering contextual site suggestions.

Benchmarks

In November 2013 benchmarks, Internet Explorer 11 achieved a SunSpider score of 128.8 ms, outperforming 30 at 199.4 ms and 26 at 193.6 ms. This positioned IE11 as the leader in JavaScript execution speed among major browsers at launch. IE11 also demonstrated superior graphics performance in tests during the same period. In the WebGL Aquarium benchmark rendering 1,000 fish, IE11 delivered 60 frames per second (fps), surpassing Chrome 30 at 53 fps and Firefox 26 at 45 fps. Microsoft's custom 2,000-fish test similarly showed IE11 at 15 fps, matching Chrome but edging out Firefox at 14 fps. Regarding resource efficiency, IE11 consumed 168 MB of RAM with five tabs open to mixed sites, lower than 26 at 225 MB and significantly less than Chrome 30 at 401 MB. By August 2015 evaluations, IE11 trailed competitors in broader suites but maintained strengths in graphics. In JetStream, IE11 scored 98.522, behind Chrome 44 (141.61) and 39 (121.01). The 2.0 benchmark yielded 12,235 for IE11, lagging Chrome 44 (24,672) and 39 (22,209). However, in performance with 4,000 fish, IE11 reached 20 fps, outperforming Chrome 44 (17 fps) and 39 (10 fps). Cross-browser analysis highlighted Chakra's advancements over IE10, with IE11 delivering approximately 4% faster overall performance than IE10 and up to 30% faster than competitors in execution in real-world tasks like page loading and script processing on Windows 7. This improvement stemmed from enhanced and reduced startup times in .

Standards and Compatibility

Web Standards Support

Internet Explorer 11 provided full support for , enabling developers to utilize core features such as semantic elements, multimedia integration, and rendering without proprietary extensions. This compliance aligned with the W3C's recommendation, allowing for robust development comparable to contemporary browsers. In terms of CSS3, IE11 offered comprehensive support for key modules, including the 2012 syntax of flexbox for flexible layouts and the -ms-grid property as a precursor to the full specification. These implementations facilitated responsive design patterns, though flexbox adherence to the older syntax introduced some layout inconsistencies in edge cases. ECMAScript 5.1 was fully supported with no variations, ensuring consistent execution across strict and non-strict modes. IE11 achieved a perfect score of 100/100 on the test, demonstrating strong adherence to web standards in rendering, scripting, and multimedia handling, on par with other major browsers of the era. SVG support was partial but improved over IE10, with enhanced rendering for basic shapes, paths, and text integration, though advanced features like certain filters and animations remained unsupported. Native support for the WOFF font format enhanced by allowing compressed web fonts to load efficiently without fallback issues. Following its initial release, IE11 enabled protocol support through updates, particularly on , which introduced multiplexed connections to reduce latency and improve resource loading. TLS 1.2 was set as the default secure protocol in environments like and later, with fallbacks to TLS 1.0 and 1.1 for legacy compatibility, bolstering secure web communications.

Compatibility Features

Internet Explorer 11 includes several mechanisms to maintain with legacy web content and enterprise applications, particularly those developed for earlier versions of the browser. These features allow organizations to continue supporting older sites and custom applications without immediate rewrites, addressing common challenges in enterprise environments where legacy systems persist. One key addition is Enterprise Mode, introduced via the April 2014 security update (KB2929437) for on and Windows Server 2008 R2. This mode emulates the rendering engine of [Internet Explorer 8](/page/Internet Explorer_8) to ensure compatibility with websites designed for that earlier version, preventing layout and functionality issues in modern IE11. IT administrators can enable Enterprise Mode for specific domains or webpages using settings, which reference an XML-based site list file to define the targeted sites and their required emulation settings. For example, the site list XML allows precise configuration, such as directing a legacy enterprise application to render in IE8 mode while keeping other sites in full IE11 standards mode. This feature is particularly useful for enterprises managing large numbers of outdated applications. To handle non-compliant legacy HTML, Internet Explorer 11 retains doctype sniffing and quirks mode, mechanisms inherited from prior versions to interpret older, non-standard code. Doctype sniffing examines at the start of an document: a valid, well-formed DOCTYPE triggers standards mode for modern rendering, while its absence or invalid format activates quirks mode, which mimics the box model and CSS behaviors of 5.5 to preserve the appearance of legacy pages. This approach ensures that enterprise websites built with outdated practices—common in pre-standards era development—display consistently without breaking, even as IE11 advances support for contemporary web technologies. Quirks mode can also be invoked through specific X-UA-Compatible directives, providing flexibility for mixed-content environments. Internet Explorer 11 continues to support controls and , enabling the execution of legacy enterprise scripts and plugins that were prevalent in business applications during the early . controls, which allow embedding of Windows components like calendars or tree views into web pages, remain configurable via settings across security zones, such as the intranet zone where they are often enabled by default for trusted internal use. Similarly, execution is permitted in Internet Explorer 11, with policies allowing administrators to enable, prompt, or disable it per zone—defaulting to enabled in most cases—to support automation tasks in older Visual Basic-integrated applications. These supports persist despite broader industry deprecations of such technologies in favor of modern alternatives like frameworks. Meta tag overrides, particularly through the X-UA-Compatible header or , provide developers and administrators with granular control over compatibility views in . For instance, including <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE8"> in the head forces the page to render in a mode emulating , overriding the default standards mode and ensuring legacy CSS and behave as intended. This can also be set via HTTP response headers from the server, taking precedence over doctype-based detection in many scenarios. Such overrides are essential for enterprise sites where automatic mode selection might disrupt functionality, allowing targeted fixes without altering the entire browser configuration. The meta tag's value, such as IE=edge for the latest supported mode or specific emulation like IE=9, directly influences document mode selection, with the taking priority over HTTP headers when both are present. For integration with Windows Server environments, Internet Explorer 11 ensures rendering consistency for sites through features like automatic zone detection and compatibility pinning. On and 2008 R2 SP1, IE11 treats addresses (identified via hostnames without dots or local IP ranges) as trusted by default, applying enhanced security while maintaining legacy rendering via quirks mode or Enterprise Mode for non-compliant internal applications. Administrators can pin and sites to the using tools like the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2013, providing quick access and consistent display across server-hosted enterprise portals. This setup helps preserve the reliability of line-of-business applications in server-centric deployments, where deviations in rendering could impact productivity.

Lifecycle

Updates

Following its initial release, Internet Explorer 11 received several updates to enhance compatibility, security, and performance. On April 2, 2014, Microsoft released an update as part of the Windows 8.1 Update, introducing Enterprise Mode to improve compatibility with legacy websites and applications by emulating older browser behaviors, such as those of Internet Explorer 8. Subsequent updates included improvements to WebGL support in July 2014, enabling advanced 3D graphics rendering without plugins via enhanced features like 16-bit textures and instancing. Internet Explorer 11 also benefited from regular monthly security updates delivered through Windows Update, which patched critical vulnerabilities across supported Windows editions. For instance, the May 2014 security bulletin (MS14-021) addressed a use-after-free vulnerability (CVE-2014-1776) that could enable remote code execution when users visited malicious webpages, affecting versions from Internet Explorer 6 through 11. These cumulative patches continued to prioritize vulnerability remediation, ensuring ongoing protection against exploits without introducing major new features after the early post-release period. With the initial release of on July 29, 2015, Internet Explorer 11 gained support for over TLS, allowing multiplexed streams and header compression for more efficient secure connections, reducing latency for traffic compared to HTTP/1.1. This enhancement aligned with emerging web standards to improve loading times on modern sites. As of November 2025, the latest version of Internet Explorer 11 is 11.0.9600.22824, released via the October 14, 2025, cumulative security update (KB5066840), which focuses exclusively on security patches for vulnerabilities in the browser's rendering engine and scripting components on supported systems like editions. Updates have shifted to security-only maintenance, reflecting the browser's mature status. Extended support for Internet Explorer 11 persists on specialized Windows editions, including Enterprise LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel), where security updates continue beyond the general retirement of the desktop application on semi-annual channel versions, tied to the operating system's lifecycle to accommodate enterprise environments reliant on legacy compatibility.

End of Support

Support for the Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop application followed the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy, with the extended support phase concluding on June 15, 2022, for Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) editions, including Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions. Following this date, Microsoft ceased providing updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, or for the IE11 desktop app on these platforms, leaving users exposed to potential vulnerabilities without patches. On February 14, 2023, IE11 was permanently disabled on SAC through a update, with any remaining IE11 icons automatically redirecting to to encourage transition to the newer browser. Microsoft recommends that users and organizations migrate to Microsoft Edge, utilizing its built-in IE Mode for compatibility with legacy websites and applications that require IE11 functionality. IE Mode in Microsoft Edge provides backward compatibility by rendering content using IE11 binaries, which continue to receive security updates through at least 2029 to support enterprise needs. For specialized deployments, such as Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, IE11 remains supported until the operating system's end-of-support date of January 13, 2032, allowing continued use in embedded and long-term scenarios without the disablement applied to SAC editions. The end of support has significant impacts for most users, as the lack of security patches after June 15, 2022, heightens risks from unaddressed vulnerabilities in the IE11 desktop application, potentially compromising systems that continue to rely on it. In Windows Server 2022, IE11 is provided as an optional feature that can be fully removed via the Settings app or PowerShell, reflecting Microsoft's shift away from including the browser by default in server environments to promote security and modernization. Despite the retirement, IE11 persists in legacy contexts for certain government and enterprise systems through Extended Security Updates (ESU) programs, such as those for Windows 7, where IE11 receives critical security fixes as part of the paid ESU until January 10, 2023, with further extensions available under specific agreements.

References

  1. https://news.microsoft.com/source/2013/10/17/windows-8-1-is-available-now-2/
  2. https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-releases-internet-explorer-11-windows-7
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  4. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-it-pro/internet-explorer-11/ie11-faq/faq-for-it-pros-ie11
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  6. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/improvements-to-the-f12-developer-tools-in-internet-explorer-11-9db747c8-53a7-05b8-5e81-002cdf0620c7
  7. https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/internet-explorer-11-adds-support-for-http-strict-transport-security-standard-fa68823d-e59a-4119-9a87-f4130802ea70
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  10. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5065435-cumulative-security-update-for-internet-explorer-september-9-2025-de01367f-730b-4281-8a65-1f8996865725
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  25. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/rc4-cipher-is-no-longer-supported-in-internet-explorer-11-or-microsoft-edge-f8687bc1-1f88-9abe-5c81-b00c26290f36
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  28. https://www.sitepoint.com/internet-explorer-11-review/
  29. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-it-pro/internet-explorer-11/ie11-deploy-guide/new-group-policy-settings-for-ie11
  30. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18208298/does-ie-11-ignore-autocomplete-off
  31. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/troubleshoot/browsers/core-features/gpu-hardware-acceleration
  32. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2013/10/07/right-from-the-start-the-best-web-is-on-windows-with-internet-explorer-11/
  33. https://www.sitepoint.com/microsoft-edge-review/
  34. https://www.eweek.com/developer/internet-explorer-11-developer-preview-hits-windows/
  35. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/ie_standards/ms-html5/4257eddd-d92e-4ef0-88d5-b7accc73e094
  36. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/ie_standards/ms-es51/8aea05e3-8c1e-4a9a-9614-31f71e679466
  37. http://acid3.acidtests.org/
  38. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/update-to-enable-tls-1-1-and-tls-1-2-as-default-secure-protocols-in-winhttp-in-windows-c4bd73d2-31d7-761e-0178-11268bb10392
  39. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/ie_standards/ms-woff1/8aea05e3-8c1e-4a9a-9614-31f71e679468
  40. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-it-pro/internet-explorer-11/ie11-deploy-guide/
  41. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-the-security-update-for-internet-explorer-11-on-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-april-8-2014-1ab5e1aa-c33c-cc1e-5d93-a6c2f0bf82d3
  42. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-it-pro/internet-explorer-11/ie11-deploy-guide/what-is-enterprise-mode
  43. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/ie_standards/ms-iedoco/380e2488-f5eb-4457-a07a-0cb1b6e4b4b5
  44. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-it-pro/internet-explorer-11/ie11-deploy-guide/tips-and-tricks-to-manage-ie-compatibility
  45. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2014/04/02/windows-8-1-update-important-refinements-to-the-windows-experience/
  46. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2014/ms14-021
  47. https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1776
  48. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-10/deployment/whats-new-in-windows-10
  49. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5066840-cumulative-security-update-for-internet-explorer-october-14-2025-5587fbb9-648d-49bc-9e59-8502d1a58b4a
  50. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/announcements/internet-explorer-11-end-of-support
  51. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021
  52. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/announcements/internet-explorer-11-end-of-support-windows-10
  53. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2186975/fully-remove-internet-explorer-11-from-windows-ser
  54. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/windows-7-eos-faq/windows-7-extended-security-updates-faq
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