Microsoft is pulling the plug on one of the world’s most used web browsers Internet explorer (IE) by 17 August 2021, and Windows 10’s browser Microsoft Edge Legacy by 9 March 2021.
According to Microsoft 365 blog, the Microsoft Teams web app will no longer support IE 11, the latest version of IE, in November 2020. The remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services will follow suit and cease support by 17 August 2021.
In its place will be Microsoft Edge, the default browser on Windows 10 released in January 2020.
It is more similar to Google Chrome as it is based on Google’s Chromium open-source project.
This new browser also supports Chrome browser extensions and has the features found on Google Chrome.
Microsoft Edge browser will be part of the new devices and future Windows feature updates.
In the announcement, it said: “Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers—like the new Microsoft Edge—have enabled better, more innovative online experiences.”
The decision was made with the belief that “subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsive web access to greater sets of features in everyday toolsets like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and more”.
Internet Explorer has been around for 25 years since its release in August 1995.
Microsoft Edge Legacy will be ported over to Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge Legacy was also built on the Chromium open source engine. However, the tech giant will end the support for Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app by 9 March 2021 as systems have been shipped over to the new Microsoft Edge, and most Windows 10 users have been upgraded to the new browser.