In January 2016, Microsoft consolidated its
browser strategy around Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), making IE11 the last supported version of Internet Explorer. As support for older versions of Internet Explorer ended, many customers upgraded to IE11, providing them with improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and greater support for modern web technologies. In fact, the large majority of the Windows ecosystem now runs IE11 and/or Microsoft Edge.
To continue the shift to a faster, more secure browsing experience, starting in the spring of 2019, commercial customers running Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard can begin using IE11 in their test environments or pilot rings. To simplify deployment, you will be able to download IE11 via the Microsoft Update Catalog. We will also publish the IE11 upgrade through Windows Update and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for all versions of Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard later this year.
You will have until January 2020 to complete the transition from Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) to IE11. After this, we will not release any security or non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content changes for IE10.
We encourage you to use the time available to pilot IE11 in your environments. Upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer will ease the migration path to Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 or 2019, or Windows 10 IoT, and unlock the next generation of technology and productivity. It will also allow you to reduce the number of Internet Explorer versions you support in your environment.
IE10 will continue to be supported for the OS versions listed above through 2019. The updates will be available via the Update Catalog and WSUS channel as a “Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer 10.” They will also be included in the Monthly Rollup, just as they are today. Updates for IE11 will be labeled as “Cumulative Update Internet Explorer 11” on the Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update, and WSUS.
Note: IE11 will be available to Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard customers in the form of the classic (or desktop) IE experience. The Modern IE tiled experience will not be supported on IE11 for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.
As you make the shift to IE11, you will, of course, be able to leverage
Enterprise Mode for application and website compatibility. This will allow you to continue to load your applications that have a dependency on IE10 in a “compatibility mode” while using IE11. If your organization requires additional assistance, please contact your Microsoft Account team.
