Internet Explorer is Back On Windows 11

Microsoft actually said goodbye to its once successful Internet Explorer browser on June 15, 2022, but it’s back and can also run on Windows 11 for the first time. Internet Explorer was never meant to work on Windows 11, which is why Microsoft completely disabled its 1995 browser in the latest operating system before it was released.

Windows 11 without Internet Explorer

The successor to Windows 10 was the first edition without pre-installed Internet Explorer in more than 20 years. In May 2021, Microsoft also announced that it would almost completely bury Internet Explorer after nearly 27 years and that it would take this step in June 2022. Attempts to run Internet Explorer on Windows 11 always ended with the launch of Microsoft Edge, the heir to Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer runs on Windows 11

To Twitter user @XenoPanther, a developer working on ReactOS (ROSE), a Windows NT clone, has now managed to successfully run and use Internet Explorer on Windows 11. In practice, this can lead to serious security gaps.

As the developer reports, getting Internet Explorer to work on Windows 11 wasn’t rocket science, which is most likely due to the legacies that still exist in the code of the latest Windows.

Internet Explorer is active after a few clicks

To breathe new life into Internet Explorer on Windows 11, you just need to click on one of the links under “Start → Internet Options → Programs → Manage Add-ons”, which will then be opened automatically via the “Retro Browser”. The editors put it to the test and were able to use Internet Explorer under Windows 11.

CPR not recommended

At this point, it should be noted that reviving Internet Explorer is not recommended and involves accepting any browser security loopholes that are open forever. In its heyday from 2003 to 2005, Internet Explorer combined more than 90 percent of the market share among global users, but now it’s finally time to replace the browser, which was released in 1995 in version 1.0 in the paid Windows expansion pack.

Microsoft Plus! was first released exclusively for Windows 95. The 2nd generation of its successor, the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, which now ranks second globally behind the dominant Google Chrome, is definitely the much more modern and secure choice.