Earlier today, Microsoft announced that it will be permanently ending support for Internet Explorer 11 after August 17, 2021. When this happens, every other application like Office 365, Outlook, and OneDrive that use the browser's extension will also stop supporting the browser. Microsoft will also end support for the browser within the Microsoft Teams web app after November 30. The legacy edition of Microsoft Edge will also come to an end on March 9, 2021.
Microsoft Edge was released for Windows in July 2015. It was also rebuilt as a Chromium-based browser last year. Microsoft Edge has been applauded for being a great browser alternative to Internet Explorer. However, since most users have already been using alternate browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, Microsoft Edge hasn't been popular among most internet users.
The browser also has an overall low market share, sitting way behind popular internet browsers like Firefox and even some older version of Chrome. As of 2020, all updates for Windows 7, 8.1, and Windows 10 included Microsoft Edge by default. The company will also collect user data from other browsers that users use besides Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft has been working on getting rid of Internet Explorer for some time now. The company has slowed down support for the browser after it announced the new Edge browser. After Microsoft Edge's launch, the company also started labeling Internet Explorer as a "compatibility solution" instead of a browser. The company also encouraged businesses to stop using the browser permanently.
It seems that the only users using Internet Explorer are Enterprise consumers, who have built their digital business infrastructure around the browser.
Microsoft will also be dropping support for its legacy version of the Edge browser on March 9, 2021. After that date, Microsoft will stop releasing any security updates or support for the browser.
