Internet Explorer is retired and should not replace Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. When an organization still has a legacy website that depends on Internet Explorer technology, use Microsoft Edge’s supported Internet Explorer mode instead.
Steps
- Confirm that the website genuinely requires legacy Internet Explorer compatibility.
- Open Microsoft Edge and follow the organization’s current IE mode configuration instructions.
- On managed systems, administrators should configure the approved legacy sites through the supported Enterprise Mode Site List or current Microsoft management method.
- Open only those approved legacy sites in IE mode.
- Use normal Edge mode for ordinary web browsing.
- Work with the application owner on removing the site’s Internet Explorer dependency.
Do not download replacement Internet Explorer installers
Websites claiming to restore a current standalone Internet Explorer can provide unofficial or unsafe software. Internet Explorer 11 desktop support ended years ago on applicable Windows versions.
IE mode is a compatibility bridge
The purpose of IE mode is to keep necessary legacy business applications working during modernization, not to return the entire PC to Internet Explorer as its everyday browser.
Managed configuration is preferable
Organizations can centrally define which sites require IE mode instead of asking users to toggle compatibility manually. This limits legacy rendering to the applications that actually need it.
Windows 10 is also unsupported
Windows 10 reached the end of standard support in October 2025. Organizations maintaining legacy web applications should plan both application modernization and migration to a supported Windows platform.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.