How to Update Internet Explorer

You might want to update Internet Explorer for any of several different reasons. Maybe you heard that Microsoft released a new version of their web browser and you'd like to try it out. You'll need to update Internet Explorer to do that.

Perhaps you're dealing with a problem with Internet Explorer and other troubleshooting steps haven't worked. In many cases like this, you can update IE and the problem may go away.

Regardless the reason why you want to, it's very easy to do.

You can update Internet Explorer by downloading and installing it from Microsoft:

Download Internet Explorer [Microsoft]

Locate your language from the list on their site (English, for example), and then click the 32-bit or 64-bit link to get that version for your computer. Read this if you're not sure which download link to pick.

Not Using Windows 7? Read the "IE Support" section below for more information on IE11 in other versions of Windows.

That's really all there is to it. Internet Explorer will update (or upgrade) automatically, keeping all of your favorites, cookies, form history, and saved passwords perfectly intact.

Incremental updates to Internet Explorer, like those you might see on Patch Tuesday that correct small bugs or fix security issues, are always best received via Windows Update.

The latest version of Internet Explorer is IE11.

See What Version of Internet Explorer Do I Have? if you're not sure if you're up to date.

In most cases, the newest version of Internet Explorer will automatically install at some point after its release via Windows Update.

See How Do I Install Windows Updates? for help doing that.

Internet Explorer will eventually be replaced by a browser called Edge (formerly Spartan) that is currently only available in Windows 10.

Edge is not available as a download from Microsoft for any version of Windows. It's included as part of Windows 10 and so is only available if you're using Windows 10.

See Where Can I Download Windows 10? if you're interested in trying out Edge in Windows 10 but don't yet have this version of Windows.

IE11 is included in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, so you don't have to download it from Microsoft. You can also install IE11 in Windows 7 by downloading and installing it as directed above.

If you're still using Windows 8, IE10 is the latest version of IE you can use. IE11 comes included in the free Windows 8.1 update. See How to Update to Windows 8.1 for help with that.

The latest version of Internet Explorer for Windows Vista is IE9, available for download here (choose Windows Vista from the selection). For Windows XP, Internet Explorer maxes out at IE8, available from the IE8 download page.

Not sure what version of Windows is installed in your computer? See What Version of Windows Do I Have? for easy instructions on figuring that out.