In June, IE11 icons will be deleted from the Start Menu and taskbar, although IE's engine Trident will live on in Windows 11.
Microsoft may have phased down Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, 2022, but there is still work to be done to untangle it from Windows 10.
Microsoft has informed Windows users that on February 14, 2023, the next Patch Tuesday, an upgrade to Edge would permanently kill IE on Windows 10 computers.
If your company is still reliant on IE11, you must take action immediately to complete your transition by February 14, 2023, or risk widespread economic interruption when users lose access to IE11-dependent apps. Organizations who have already switched from IE11 to Microsoft Edge with IE mode will be unaffected when the IE11 desktop program is permanently removed on this date," Microsoft stated in the Windows message center.
Microsoft has been warning IE11 users about the end of IE11 support for quite some time, as well as urging enterprises with legacy programs that rely on IE's proprietary "Trident" engine to activate IE Mode within Edge.
Edge will maintain Internet Explorer mode until at least the end of 2029, or around five years after Windows 10 support expires in October 2025. As a result, Trident is included in Windows 11.
Microsoft notified customers
Microsoft notified customers in December that the Internet Explorer desktop version will be completely terminated on February 14, 2023.
This cannot be reversed, but it is crucial to note that Microsoft is not uninstalling IE11 from PCs; rather, it is blocking it and redirecting any efforts to activate it through Edge.
"On February 14, 2023, any remaining devices that have not previously been moved from IE11 to Microsoft Edge are slated to be redirected," Microsoft added.
The Microsoft Edge upgrade will be pushed to all devices, commercial and consumer, at the same time, and users will be unable to undo the change. Furthermore, redirection from Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge will be incorporated in all future Microsoft Edge upgrades."
Following the upgrade, users will receive a message alerting them that IE11 is no longer supported and that Edge is the way of the future. If users try to click IE11 icons, they will be sent to Edge, with their browsing data immediately transferred.
IE icons in the Start Menu and Taskbar
IE icons in the Start Menu and Taskbar will remain on desktops until the June 2023 Patch Tuesday update, which will be released on June 13.
Windows 10 client SKUs, Windows 10 IoT, and Windows 10 Enterprise Multi-Session are among the Windows versions that will be permanently disabled on February 14.
Microsoft warns that "remaining on an unsupported version of Windows 10 will not prevent redirection," because the IE11 desktop application will be switched to Edge on both supported and unsupported versions of Windows 10.
Because IE mode relies on IE11 to work, Microsoft has decided to permanently deactivate it rather than delete it. IE mode is no longer functional without Trident, IE's engine, commonly known as MSHTML. It warns users not to delete Internet Explorer 11.
Is it also finally happening? Apple is reportedly developing a touchscreen MacBook.
While Microsoft Edge switched to the Chromium engine in 2020 and Windows 11 no longer supports IE11, the Trident/MSHTML engine is still included in Windows 11 to allow IE mode in Edge.
To reduce business interruption, Microsoft advises enterprises with legacy browser requirements to enable IE mode in Edge before upgrading to Windows 11.
Microsoft will offer one year's notice before eliminating Internet Explorer mode in 2029.