Internet Explorer Mode in Microsoft Edge

Internet Explorer was the legacy browser introduced by Microsoft Corporation in 1995 for the Windows operating system. During the 2000s, it was the most popular operating system, with a 95% market share. Later, with the advent of modern browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the popularity of Internet Explorer decreased and Microsoft discontinued its further development in 2016. Microsoft Edge was introduced to replace Internet Explorer as the built-in web browser in the later versions of the Windows operating system. And Microsoft officially ended the support for Internet Explorer on 15 June 2022. For users and organizations who still need access to Internet Explorer, an Internet Explorer mode was introduced in the Microsoft Edge browser. In this article, we will dive deep into the details of Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge and how to enable it.

What is Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge?

Some organizations and users still use websites that are built for Internet Explorer. And such websites do not work with modern-day browsers like Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Opera. When Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer, for such users an Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) was built into Microsoft Edge. So they can use sites that are made for Internet Explorer in Microsoft Edge after enabling the Internet Explorer mode. Microsoft promised that they will continue to support Internet Explorer through Microsoft Edge till 2029.

Internet Explorer mode uses the same browser engine as Internet Explorer. It is done by integrating the Trident MSHTML (the browser engine used by Internet Explorer) into Microsoft Edge, along with the modern Chromium browser engine that Edge uses. Thus, users can easily view Internet Explorer websites in Edge by turning on Internet Explorer mode. Even though we can use such websites in Edge using Internet Explorer mode, toolbars, and developer options of Internet Explorer are not available. It does only provide a way to view the website and not the entire Internet Explorer experience. If you enable Internet Explorer mode for any specific website, then Edge will display the logo of Internet Explorer in the navigation bar of the browser. You can also set the required website to open in Internet Explorer mode automatically.

Most modern websites are designed for modern browsers like Edge, Chrome, or Firefox and these websites do not work in Internet Explorer. Therefore, a user is not recommended to enable Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge unless he/she uses some websites that are built for Internet Explorer. So if you are a user who uses some websites built for Internet Explorer or want to visit some old websites, then you can enable Internet Explorer mode. Else, you can keep the Internet Explorer mode turned off.

How to enable Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge?

Step 1: To enable IE mode in Edge, first open Microsoft Edge by clicking it from the application’s menu.

Open Microsoft Edge

Step 2: Open the “Settings and more” menu by clicking on three dots located in the top right side of the Edge browser.

Open the “Settings and more” menu

Step 3: Open settings by clicking on the “Settings located on the bottom side of the “Settings and more” menu.

Open settings

Step 4: On the settings page, click on the “Default browser” from the options listed on the left side.

Click on “Default browser”

Step 5: Now you can see a page containing options related to Internet Explorer mode. From that list of options, find the option named “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode(IE mode)”. Then click on the “Default” button located next to it to enable IE mode.

Internet Explorer Mode options

Step 6: Now click on the “Allow” button from the dropdown menu to turn on Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge.

Turn on Internet Explorer mode

Step 7: You need to restart the browser to take effect. So click on the blue “Restart” button to restart the Edge browser.

Restart the browser

Step 8: After restarting you can visit the website which you need to open in IE mode. For example, here we opened the Geeksforgeeks page to test out IE mode. After visiting the required website, click on the three dots in the top right corner and then on “Reload in Internet Explorer mode” from that menu.

Enable Internet Explorer mode

Now website is displayed in Internet Explorer mode. As Geeksforgeeks is a modern website that was not built for Internet Explorer, the website is not displayed properly.

Geeksforgeeks website in Internet Explorer mode

Step 9: If you want to exit from Internet Explorer mode, then again click on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Exit Internet Explorer mode”.

Disable Internet Explorer mode

How to open a website in Internet Explorer automatically?

If you want to open a website automatically in Internet Explorer mode, then you can set it in the settings. The step-by-step procedure to do the same is given below:

Step 1: Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the browser and select Settings from the menu opened up.

Step 2: On the settings page, click on the “Default browser” from the options listed on the left side to open options related to IE mode.

Open the IE mode settings page

Step 3: Click on the “Add” button located on the option named “Internet Explorer mode pages” to set a website to automatically open in IE mode.

Adding a website to Internet Explorer mode

Step 4: In the opened pop-up, enter the URL of the website which needs to be opened in IE mode always.

Enter the Website address

Step 5: Click on the blue “Add” button to save the entered website to open in IE mode automatically.

Add website to IE mode

Now, whenever you visit the saved website, it will be opened in IE mode automatically.

Conclusion

Internet Explorer mode in the Microsoft Edge is a useful tool for users and organisations who use websites built for old Internet Explorer. Microsoft has done a neat integration of Internet Explorer in Edge, enabling users to access it easily with a click. It also can preset a specific website to open in Internet Explorer mode automatically. Generally, most users do not need to enable the Internet Explorer mode. We hope the article was useful for you, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!