Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer was for many years the default web browser for the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. Microsoft has discontinued Internet Explorer but continues to maintain it. Microsoft Edge replaced IE as the Windows default browser beginning with Windows 10, but IE still ships on all Windows systems and is still a popular browser.

About Internet Explorer

Microsoft Internet Explorer contains various internet connection, network file sharing, and security settings.

Among other features, Internet Explorer supports:

• Proxy server configuration
• VPN and FTP client capabilities
• Remote administration

Internet Explorer received much publicity for several network security holes that were discovered in the past, but newer releases of the browser strengthened the browser's security features to fight phishing and malware. Internet Explorer was the most popular web browser in use worldwide for many years—from 1999 when it surpassed Netscape Navigator until 2012 when Chrome became the most popular browser. Even now, it is used by more Windows users than Microsoft Edge and all other browsers except Chrome. Because of its popularity, it is a popular target of malware.

Later versions of the browser were criticized for slow speed and stagnant development. 

Versions of IE

A total of 11 versions of Internet Explorer were released over the years. IE11, which was released in 2013, is the last version of the web browser.

At one time, Microsoft made versions of Internet Explorer for Mac's OS X operating system and for Unix machines, but those versions were discontinued as well.