By Delia / Last update May 31, 2023

Microsoft stated that starting from August 17, 2021, some Microsoft applications and services will no longer support IE11. Certain versions of Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop applications for Windows 10 will be retired on June 15, 2022. This means there are seven months to move to Microsoft Edge with IE mode so you don't have to modernize many legacy web applications and websites right away.

microsoft edge

Microsoft Edge's IE mode makes it simple to access all of the sites your enterprise need in a single browser. For current sites, it uses the integrated Chromium engine, but for legacy sites, it employs the Trident MSHTML engine from Internet Explorer 11 (IE11).

IE mode supports the following Internet Explorer functionality:

  • All document modes and enterprise modes
  • ActiveX controls (such as Java or Silverlight). Note: Silverlight reaches end of support on October 12, 2021
  • Browser Helper Objects
  • Internet Explorer settings and group policies that affect security zone settings and Protected Mode
  • F12 developer tools for IE, when launched with IEChooser
  • Microsoft Edge extensions (Extensions that interact with the IE page content directly are not supported)

IE mode doesn't support the following Internet Explorer functionality:

  • Internet Explorer toolbars
  • Internet Explorer settings and group policies that control the navigation menu.
  • IE11 or Microsoft Edge F12 developer tools

How to enable IE mode in Microsoft Edge

To enable IE mode, click on the "…" icon, select “Settings”, and switch to “Default browser” tab in the pop-up window.

Then, toggle on the "Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode" switch. “Restart” the browser and IE mode will be enabled.

enable ie mode

When you visit a page that requires IE mode, click the “…” button in the upper right corner of the Edge browser and you will see the option to reload in Internet Explorer mode in "More Tools". After clicking it, the page will automatically refresh and switch to IE mode.

switch to ie mode

When a site loads in Internet Explorer mode, the IE logo indicator appears on the left side of the navigation bar. You may view more details by clicking the IE logo.

ie icon

The IE mode of Edge browser is perfectly compatible with Internet banking login function, so users don't need to worry about upgrading Windows 11 for this issue. Besides, Edge browser on Win10 is the same as Win11 version, you can also follow the steps to enable IE mode.