IE Support Policy Information and Resources

We have been asked several times by partners what is the support policy and EOL of Internet Explorer.   There seems to be a lot of confusion over this questions and the announcements we made around Microsoft Edge (Formerly Spartan).  Here is some key information about Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge.

The latest version of Internet Explorer provides increased performance, improved security, better backward compatibility, and support for the modern web technologies that power today’s websites and services.  Upgrading to Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7 ensures continued support after January 12, 2016, and easier upgrades to Windows 10.  Internet Explorer 11 has great backward compatibility and is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 to provide a consistent, reliable browser across the plethora of Windows desktops.  Windows 10 will also feature Microsoft Edge, the first browser with “DO” in mind.  It’s personal, productive, and responsive—but most important, it takes you beyond browsing to doing. 

Partners and customers should consider standardizing on Internet Explorer 11 for the fastest web path to Windows 10, but can choose to deploy Microsoft Edge and use the two browsers side-by-side; Microsoft Edge can switch to Internet Explorer 11 as needed to support legacy web sites.

Resources:

• IE Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ:
  https://support.microsoft.com/gp/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer
• August, 2014 lifecycle announcement:
  https://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/07/stay-up-to-date-with-internet-explorer.aspx

IE11 includes a compatibility mode that can be utilized when needed.  Here are some links to learn more:

• https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh772379(v=vs.85).aspx
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn268945.aspx

 

Matt Hester
Sr. Partner Technology Strategist