Microsoft Will No Longer Let You Surf the Web This Way
John Kim
Updated on February 23, 2026
When it comes to technology, many of us cling to what we know for fear of not being able to understand or work the latest rollout. However, sometimes these changes may be out of the user's control—which will soon be the case for devoted Internet Explorer users. Microsoft is slowly discontinuing Internet Explorer by forcing users to switch from this '90s browser to the technology company's newest browser, Edge. Read on to find out more about the change, and for more tech updates, find out which Two Things Your iPhone Will Never Come With Ever Again.
A new feature will automatically direct users to Microsoft Edge from Internet Explorer.
Microsoft has recently been rolling out a new feature that will automatically switch a user's browser from Internet Explorer (IE) to Edge when they visit a website that is incompatible with the classic browser.
The feature, an Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object named "IEtoEdge BHO," checks the websites users are trying to access against a list of sites incompatible with IE. If they find a match, the BHO will automatically open Edge. And for more beloved features going away soon, find out why Walmart Is Starting to End Its Most Popular Program.
Microsoft started rolling out this feature last summer.
Microsoft started testing this feature with some users after the release of Edge 84 this past summer. But according to ZDNet, the feature is expected to be forced onto all users with Edge 87—the updated version set to launch during the third week of November.
Edge was Microsoft's first new browser after IE. This new browser was first released in 2015, 20 years after IE's 1995 debut. And for more features you'll never see again, Netflix Just Quietly Removed This Key Feature.
Users will also be prompted to transfer their browsing data and preferences.
As the new browser opens, so will a dialog box that explains why the user is being redirected.
"This dialog explains why they're getting redirected and prompts for consent to copy their browsing data and preferences from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge," reads a statement from Microsoft. "The following browsing data will be imported: Favorites, Passwords, Search engines, open tabs, History, settings, cookies, and the Home Page."
However, users aren't required to give consent to the transfer and can simply continue browsing their chosen website on Microsoft Edge. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
More than 1,000 websites are incompatible with Internet Explorer.
Currently, there are around 1,150 websites on the list of sites incompatible with IE. And this includes some of the biggest internet destinations: YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Soon, when using IE, all of these sites will automatically redirect to Edge 87. And for more technology that has left us behind, revisit these 13 Technologies of the 2010s That Are Already Obsolete.
And the browser will be completely extinct by 2022.
Despite IE still having an almost 5 percent market share in browser use, this is Microsoft's slow burn to completely killing off the '90s browser.
Microsoft recently warned corporate customers that IE will no longer log into Microsoft accounts starting Nov. 13, Bleeping Computer reported. In August, the tech company announced that Microsoft Teams will no longer support IE 11 starting Nov. 30, and the company will ultimately end all support for the browser on Aug. 17 of next year. And for more things going extinct, Half of Coke's Drink Brands Are About to Disappear.
Kali Coleman Kali Coleman is a Senior Editor at Best Life. Her primary focus is covering news, where she often keeps readers informed on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and up-to-date on the latest retail closures.Read moreFiled UnderNews • Tech and GadgetsRead This NextThis '70s Product Is Being Discontinued
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