Microsoft has announced that it has completely shut down its famous browser, the Internet Explorer.
The development comes a year after the company said its Internet Explorer 11 Windows 10 desktop app would be retired in favour of Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft had in May last year announced that it will discontinue the browser beginning from June 15, 2022, and encouraged users to switch to Microsoft Edge.
“After 25+ years of helping people use and experience the web, Internet Explorer (IE) is officially retired and out of support as of today, June 15, 2022. To many millions of you, thank you for using Internet Explorer as your gateway to the internet,” the company said in a blog post.
Last year, Sean Lyndersay, GM of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, said, “Not only is Microsoft Edge a quicker, more secure, and more contemporary browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it can also address a crucial concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications.”
In 1995, Microsoft debuted Internet Explorer as an add-on for Windows 95, and it quickly became the most popular browser in the early 2000s.
Its competitor browsers, Chrome and Firefox, began gaining popularity between 2002 and 2008. Many users complained that the browser was the slowest among its competitors, that it crashed frequently, and that it was vulnerable to hacking threats.
Many years ago, Microsoft chose to stop working on older versions of Internet Explorer and instead focus on the Edge browser.
