How To Install Internet Explorer In Windows 11

Up until Windows 8.1, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the default and only browser shipped with the Windows operating system. However, this changed with Windows 10 when Microsoft introduced the Edge browser along with Internet Explorer.

The Edge browser is the default web browser in Windows 10 as well as in the latest Windows 11.

While Windows 10 shipped with both Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, Windows 11 ships only with the new Edge browser. As you might know already, Internet Explorer is no longer being developed and supported.

The Edge browser in Windows 11 is way better than Internet Explorer in every possible way. It has a better user interface, loads webpages much faster, supports extensions, and has many features not present in its predecessor, Internet Explorer. More importantly, it’s safer than Internet Explorer.

Users who are unhappy with Edge can also download and install third-party browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and others.

Why install Internet Explorer in Windows 11?

Almost all the websites work great with Edge and other web browsers. That said, a few websites might still work better with Internet Explorer. Because of this, some users might want to install Internet Explorer in Windows 11 as well. For these situations, there is an Internet Explorer mode in the Edge browser that lets you open a website in Internet Explorer compatibility mode.

If, for some reason, you want to install and use the Internet Explorer browser on your Windows 11 PC, you have a few choices.

Can we download Internet Explorer for Windows 11?

Although you can download the latest version of Internet Explorer from Microsoft, it does not support Windows 11. Internet Explorer 11, available on the Microsoft support website, is meant for Windows 7 only.

Is Internet Explorer available in Windows 11?

Yes, Internet Explorer is very much part of Windows 11. So, you do not need to download and install it. However, it cannot be launched via the Start menu or taskbar search. If you type Internet Explorer in the search, Windows 11 shows Microsoft Edge entry instead of Internet Explorer. Because Internet Explorer has been disabled in Windows 11, you cannot launch with the usual methods.

IMPORTANT: Internet Explorer is no longer supported by Microsoft and might not offer the experience you get in modern browsers like Edge.

Steps to open Internet Explorer in Windows 11

Step 1: In the Start or taskbar search field, type Internet Options and then press the Enter key to open the Internet Properties dialog.

Step 2: On the Internet Properties dialog, click the Programs tab to switch to the same.

Step 3: Click the Manage add-ons button.

Step 4: Finally, click the Learn more about toolbars and extensions link to open Internet Explorer. That’s it!

You may now type the URL of the website to open it in Internet Explorer.

Create a desktop shortcut to open Internet Explorer in Windows 11

If you often need to open Internet Explorer, you can create a shortcut to it instead of following the above-mentioned tedious procedure. Here is how.

Step 1: Open the Notepad app using search.

Step 2: Copy and paste the following script code.

CreateObject(“InternetExplorer.Application”).Visible=true

Step 3: Click the File menu and then click the Save as option.

Step 4: Select your Desktop location as the destination to save the Internet Explorer shortcut. Enter the file name as Internet Explorer.vbs (yes, VBS is necessary) and then select All types from the Save as file drop-down menu. Click the Save button. That’s it!

From now on, you can double-click on the Internet Explorer.vbs script file on the desktop to instantly run Internet Explorer.

Remember that Internet Explorer was retired on Just 15, 2022. This means that the web browser has not been updated for about three years now. Using an outdated web browser might not do any good to your data, security, and privacy.