Not so long ago, Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer 11 would become end of life as of June 15 2022. The desktop application will be retired and no longer supported. We’ve begun to see the signs of this taking place.

As of August 17, 2021, Microsoft 365 apps and services are no longer supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). Users of these services might be wondering why they cannot access some websites using Internet Explorer 11. This is due to apps and services slowly being phased out over the coming weeks and months to help ensure a smooth end of support. Each app and service will phase out at different times, each running on their own individual schedules.

While Microsoft 365 apps and services no longer support IE11, the desktop application remains supported until June 15, 2022. After this, the desktop app will be retired permanently.

Obviously, there will be no new features and user experience will get progressively worse leading up to the end of life date. Issues may range from slower commands to Internet Explorer 11 or not responding altogether. Banners will be used to alert users to upcoming changes in experiences, such as app or service disconnection and/or redirection.

To avoid an unsupported experience that may mean you are unable to connect to Microsoft 365 apps and services, we recommend that you upgrade to Microsoft Edge as soon as possible. Microsoft 365 apps and services will continue to be supported on Microsoft Edge and the overall experience will be far better on this platform.

Microsoft Edge is not the new Internet Explorer 11, but rather a spiritual successor, it is recommended by Microsoft as the future of Internet Explorer.

It makes sense to change as Microsoft Edge is faster, more secure, and a more modern browsing experience compared to Internet Explorer. It is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older applications. Microsoft Edge has a built in Internet Explorer mode. As such users will still be able to access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge.

The user experience between Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer is fairly minimal. With this in mind it makes total sense to use this platform moving forward.

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