Microsoft Says It’s Time To Upgrade From Internet Explorer

Microsoft has urged customers who are still using its Internet Explorer browser to update to the latest versions or be left without proper support for their software.

The company has said that from January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical support and security updates.

This means that users will need to upgrade before that to ensure they stay safe from the myriad of issues that have plagued older versions of Internet Explorer in the past.

Upgraded

“The newest Internet Explorer offers improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and support for the modern technologies that power today’s websites and services,” Microsoft said in a blog post announcing the news.

“Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.”

The definition of “most recent” version of Internet Explorer will depend on which version of the Windows operating system being run by the user, as older software is unable to run newer builds, although Microsoft says it will maintain an older version for those users.

However users with Windows Update installed on their PCs should have automatically been upgraded to Internet Explorer 11, meaning this should be the end for previous generations of the software.

“Most customers are already using the latest version of Internet Explorer for their respective Windows operating system, however we have found there is still fragmentation across the install base which poses problems for web developers and support staff,” the post noted.

Microsoft recommends customers upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer available in order to experience increased performance, improved security, better backward compatibility, and support for the modern web technologies that power today’s websites and services.”

The news may also be designed to help user migration to Windows 10 and its Edge browser, as Microsoft pursues its goal of having the latest version of its software on a billion devices worldwide.

Businesses can also take advantage of an ‘enterprise mode’ within Edge which launches Internet Explorer 11 for certain web apps.

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