This past summer, Microsoft confirmed it will kill off Internet Explorer (IE) and Edge Legacy web browsers next year. The time has come — Edge Legacy will reach the end of life on March 9, 2021, while Microsoft 365 apps will end support for IE 11 on August 17, 2021.
However, loyal users of Internet Explorer have forced Microsoft to take additional steps to ensure users are switching to Edge Chromium.
Web Pages Automatically Divert from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge
When using IE, visiting the more than 1,000 incompatible sites will automatically redirect you to Microsoft Edge with a message that reads, “This website doesn’t work in Internet Explorer.”
The list of websites that do not support IE includes popular sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Yahoo Mail, Google Drive, and is ever-expanding.
“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,” Microsoft said.
IE End-of-Life Support
With tens of millions of people continuing to use the outdated service, it has pushed Microsoft to take further action. Not only will certain websites automatically redirect to Edge, but Microsoft will also continue to withdraw support for Internet Explorer from its product suite.
“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsive web access.”
As of November 13, 2020, users are no longer able to log in to their Microsoft accounts via Internet Explorer. Microsoft Teams will drop support completely at the end of the same month, and by August 17, 2021, no Microsoft 365 application will be compatible with the browser.
