Internet Explorer Browser
Internet Explorer Browser
The Internet Explorer Browser, commonly known as IE Browser, is a free web browser developed and released by Microsoft Corporation.
Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 and has been one of the most popular browsers worldwide.
Internet Explorer Statistics
The table below details the usage of Internet Explorer as reported in the Browser Statistics:
| 2014 | Total | IE 11 | IE 10 | IE 9 | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 8.9 % | 2.7 % | 1.4 % | 1.9 % | 2.1 % | 0.2 % | 0.0 % |
| April | 9.4 % | 2.7 % | 1.6 % | 2.0 % | 2.4 % | 0.3 % | 0.1 % |
| March | 9.7 % | 2.6 % | 1.6 % | 2.1 % | 2.5 % | 0.3 % | 0.1 % |
| February | 9.8 % | 2.5 % | 1.7 % | 2.1 % | 2.7 % | 0.3 % | 0.1 % |
| January | 10.2 % | 2.5 % | 1.7 % | 2.3 % | 3.1 % | 0.4 % | 0.1 % |
| 2013 | Total | IE 11 | IE 10 | IE 9 | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 9.0 % | 0.8 % | 2.1 % | 2.4 % | 3.2 % | 0.4 % | 0.1 % |
| November | 10.5 % | 3.5 % | 2.5 % | 3.6 % | 0.5 % | 0.1 % | |
| October | 11.7 % | 4.0 % | 3.0 % | 4.1 % | 0.5 % | 0.1 % | |
| September | 12.1 % | 4.0 % | 2.8 % | 4.6 % | 0.6 % | 0.1 % | |
| August | 11.8 % | 3.6 % | 2.8 % | 4.7 % | 0.6 % | 0.1 % | |
| July | 11.8 % | 3.3 % | 2.8 % | 4.8 % | 0.7 % | 0.1 % | |
| June | 12.0 % | 3.1 % | 3.2 % | 4.9 % | 0.7 % | 0.1 % | |
| May | 12.6 % | 2.6 % | 3.9 % | 5.2 % | 0.8 % | 0.1 % | |
| April | 12.7 % | 2.0 % | 4.4 % | 5.3 % | 0.8 % | 0.1 % | |
| March | 12.9 % | 1.3 % | 5.2 % | 5.5 % | 0.8 % | 0.2 % | |
| February | 13.5 % | 0.9 % | 5.7 % | 5.8 % | 0.9 % | 0.2 % | |
| January | 14.3 % | 0.8 % | 5.9 % | 6.4 % | 1.0 % | 0.3 % | |
| 2012 | Total | IE 10 | IE 9 | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 14.7 % | 0.6 % | 5.9 % | 6.8 % | 1.1 % | 0.3 % | |
| November | 15.1 % | 0.4 % | 6.5 % | 6.8 % | 1.1 % | 0.3 % | |
| October | 16.1 % | 0.2 % | 6.8 % | 7.6 % | 1.2 % | 0.3 % | |
| September | 16.4 % | 0.2 % | 6.6 % | 7.9 % | 1.3 % | 0.4 % | |
| August | 16.2 % | 0.1 % | 6.1 % | 7.8 % | 1.8 % | 0.5 % | |
| July | 16.3 % | 0.1 % | 5.9 % | 7.9 % | 2.0 % | 0.6 % | |
| June | 16.7 % | 0.1 % | 6.1 % | 8.0 % | 1.9 % | 0.6 % | |
| May | 18.1 % | 0.1 % | 6.5 % | 8.8 % | 2.1 % | 0.6 % | |
| April | 18.3 % | 0.1 % | 6.4 % | 8.8 % | 2.3 % | 0.7 % | |
| March | 18.9 % | 0.0 % | 6.1 % | 9.4 % | 2.5 % | 0.9 % | |
| February | 19.5 % | 0.0 % | 5.7 % | 10.2 % | 2.6 % | 1.0 % | |
| January | 20.1 % | 0.1 % | 5.3 % | 10.5 % | 3.1 % | 1.1 % | |
| 2011 | Total | IE 9 | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 20.2 % | 5.1 % | 10.7 % | 3.2 % | 1.2 % | ||
| November | 21.2 % | 5.1 % | 11.5 % | 3.4 % | 1.2 % | ||
| October | 21.7 % | 5.1 % | 11.8 % | 3.5 % | 1.3 % | ||
| September | 22.9 % | 4.8 % | 12.4 % | 3.9 % | 1.8 % | ||
| August | 22.5 % | 4.2 % | 11.9 % | 4.2 % | 2.0 % | ||
| July | 22.0 % | 3.9 % | 11.7 % | 4.1 % | 2.3 % | ||
| June | 23.2 % | 3.6 % | 12.9 % | 4.4 % | 2.3 % | ||
| May | 24.9 % | 3.1 % | 14.1 % | 5.3 % | 2.4 % | ||
| April | 24.3 % | 2.1 % | 14.8 % | 4.9 % | 2.5 % | ||
| March | 25.8 % | 1.1 % | 16.3 % | 5.4 % | 3.0 % | ||
| February | 26.5 % | 0.6 % | 16.7 % | 5.7 % | 3.5 % | ||
| January | 26.6 % | 0.5 % | 16.6 % | 5.7 % | 3.8 % | ||
| 2010 | Total | IE 9 | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 27.5 % | 0.5 % | 16.5 % | 6.1 % | 4.4 % | ||
| November | 28.6 % | 0.4 % | 17.6 % | 6.5 % | 4.1 % | ||
| October | 29.7 % | 0.4 % | 17.3 % | 7.2 % | 4.8 % | ||
| September | 31.1 % | 0.2 % | 17.3 % | 8.0 % | 5.6 % | ||
| August | 30.7 % | 16.2 % | 7.8 % | 6.7 % | |||
| July | 30.4 % | 15.6 % | 7.6 % | 7.2 % | |||
| June | 31.0 % | 15.7 % | 8.1 % | 7.2 % | |||
| May | 32.2 % | 16.0 % | 9.1 % | 7.1 % | |||
| April | 33.4 % | 16.2 % | 9.3 % | 7.9 % | |||
| March | 34.9 % | 15.3 % | 10.7 % | 8.9 % | |||
| February | 35.3 % | 14.7 % | 11.0 % | 9.6 % | |||
| January | 36.2 % | 14.3 % | 11.7 % | 10.2 % | |||
| 2009 | Total | IE 8 | IE 7 | IE 6 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 37.2 % | 13.5 % | 12.8 % | 10.9 % | |||
| November | 37.7 % | 13.3 % | 13.3 % | 11.1 % | |||
| October | 37.5 % | 12.8 % | 14.1 % | 10.6 % | |||
| September | 39.6 % | 12.2 % | 15.3 % | 12.1 % | |||
| August | 39.3 % | 10.6 % | 15.1 % | 13.6 % | |||
| July | 39.4 % | 9.1 % | 15.9 % | 14.4 % | |||
| June | 40.7 % | 7.1 % | 18.7 % | 14.9 % | |||
| May | 41.0 % | 5.2 % | 21.3 % | 14.5 % | |||
| April | 42.1 % | 3.5 % | 23.2 % | 15.4 % | |||
| March | 43.3 % | 1.4 % | 24.9 % | 17.0 % | |||
| February | 43.6 % | 0.8 % | 25.4 % | 17.4 % | |||
| January | 44.8 % | 0.6 % | 25.7 % | 18.5 % | |||
| 2008 | Total | IE 7 | IE 6 | IE 5 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 46.0 % | 26.1 % | 19.6 % | 0.3 % | |||
| November | 47.0 % | 26.6 % | 20.0 % | 0.4 % | |||
| October | 47.4 % | 26.9 % | 20.2 % | 0.3 % | |||
| September | 49.0 % | 26.3 % | 22.3 % | 0.4 % | |||
| August | 51.0 % | 26.0 % | 24.5 % | 0.5 % | |||
| July | 52.4 % | 26.4 % | 25.3 % | 0.7 % | |||
| June | 54.2 % | 27.0 % | 26.5 % | 0.7 % | |||
| May | 54.4 % | 26.5 % | 27.3 % | 0.6 % | |||
| April | 54.8 % | 24.9 % | 28.9 % | 1.0 % | |||
| March | 53.9 % | 23.3 % | 29.5 % | 1.1 % | |||
| February | 54.7 % | 22.7 % | 30.7 % | 1.3 % | |||
| January | 54.7 % | 21.2 % | 32.0 % | 1.5 % | |||
| 2007 | Total | IE 7 | IE 6 | IE 5 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 56.0 % | 20.8 % | 33.6 % | 1.6 % | |||
| September | 57.2 % | 20.8 % | 34.9 % | 1.5 % | |||
| July | 58.5 % | 20.1 % | 36.9 % | 1.5 % | |||
| May | 58.9 % | 19.2 % | 38.1 % | 1.6 % | |||
| March | 58.7 % | 18.0 % | 38.7 % | 2.0 % | |||
| January | 58.6 % | 13.3 % | 42.3 % | 3.0 % | |||
| 2006 | Total | IE 7 | IE 6 | IE 5 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 60.6 % | 7.1 % | 49.9 % | 3.6 % | |||
| September | 62.1 % | 2.5 % | 55.6 % | 4.0 % | |||
| July | 62.4 % | 1.9 % | 56.3 % | 4.2 % | |||
| May | 63.0 % | 1.1 % | 57.4 % | 4.5 % | |||
| March | 64.7 % | 0.6 % | 58.8 % | 5.3 % | |||
| January | 66.0 % | 0.2 % | 60.3 % | 5.5 % | |||
| 2005 | Total | IE 6 | IE 5 | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 68.9 % | 62.7 % | 6.2 % | ||||
| September | 75.5 % | 69.8 % | 5.7 % | ||||
| July | 73.8 % | 67.9 % | 5.9 % | ||||
| May | 71.6 % | 64.8 % | 6.8 % | ||||
| March | 72.5 % | 63.6 % | 8.9 % | ||||
| January | 74.5 % | 64.8 % | 9.7 % | ||||
| 2004 | Total | IE 6 | IE 5 | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 76.2 % | 66.0 % | 10.2 % | ||||
| September | 79.0 % | 67.8 % | 11.2 % | ||||
| July | 80.4 % | 67.2 % | 13.2 % | ||||
| May | 81.9 % | 68.1 % | 13.8 % | ||||
| March | 82.8 % | 68.2 % | 14.6 % | ||||
| January | 84.7 % | 68.9 % | 15.8 % | ||||
| 2003 | Total | IE 6 | IE 5 | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 84.9 % | 71.2 % | 13.7 % | ||||
| September | 86.6 % | 69.7 % | 16.9 % | ||||
| July | 87.2 % | 66.9 % | 20.3 % | ||||
| May | 87.7 % | 65.0 % | 22.7 % | ||||
| March | 88.0 % | 63.4 % | 24.6 % | ||||
| January | 84.6 % | 55.3 % | 29.3 % | ||||
| 2002 | Total | IE 6 | IE 5 | IE4 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November | 83.4 % | 53.5 % | 29.9 % | ||||
| September | 83.5 % | 49.1 % | 34.4 % | ||||
| July | 85.0 % | 44.4 % | 40.1 % | 0.5% | |||
| May | 87.4 % | 40.7 % | 46.0 % | 0.7% | |||
| March | 86.8 % | 36.7 % | 49.4 % | 0.7% | |||
| January | 86.8 % | 30.1 % | 55.7 % | 1.0% |
The above statistics are based on users from the tutorialpro.org website.
Internet Explorer 11
For Windows 8.1: Internet Explorer 11 was released on October 17, 2013.
For Windows 7: Internet Explorer 11 was released on November 7, 2013.
New Features:
- Performance improvements
- New F12 Developer Tools
- WebGL support
- High-resolution support
- CSS3 border-image support
- CSS Flexbox support
- SPDY support (Windows 8.1 only)
- Full Screen and Orientation API support
- Enhanced support for touch-based device users
- JavaScript enhancements
- DOM mutation observers
- Web Cryptography API
- Video text track support
- Encrypted media support
- Improved HTML editor
IE 11 Removed Features:
- document.all deprecated - Code checking for its existence will not detect it, but code using it will continue to work.
- attachEvent
- Quick Tabs (CTRL+Q)
- "Work offline" command removed from File menu
- Dragging selected content from IE to other programs like Word
- Large icon command buttons
- Ability to view all cookies in Developer Tools
IE 11 is fast and standards-compliant. However, its main drawback is that it cannot run on operating system versions prior to Windows 7 and does not provide synchronization for that system!
Internet Explorer 10
Internet Explorer 10 was released on September 4, 2012, as the default browser in Windows 8.
In February 2013, Internet Explorer 10 became available for download for all Windows 7 SP1 users.
New Features:
- 20% faster than IE9
- Updated HTML5 support - Now supports async attribute in <script> tags, AppCache API, Channel Messaging, Drag and Drop API, History, Parsing, Sandbox, Spellcheck, Video, Web Workers, and WebSockets.
- Updated CSS3 support - Now supports Transforms, Animations, Fonts, Gradients, Transition effects, Text Shadows, and removes stylesheet restrictions.
- Updated DOM support - Now supports advanced hit testing API, media query listeners, XMLHttpRequest enhancements, and pointer gesture events.
- Updated SVG support - Now supports SVG and Filters.
- Updated Indexed Database API support
- Integrated spell check and auto-correct features
- Adobe Flash integration - Includes a built-in Adobe Flash Player.
- Added features for touchscreen users - Full-screen touch browser.
- Flip ahead - Quickly move to the next page of a website with swipe gestures on touchscreen devices.
- New user agent string - Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 10.0; Windows NT 6.2; [platform token] Trident/6.0; Touch)
IE 10 no longer supports the following:
- XML Data Islands
- VML - Vector Markup Language.
- HTC - Element behaviors and HTML components.
- DX Filters - DirectX-based filters/transition effects.
- Conditional comments - Conditional statements in HTML source code interpreted by IE, such as: <!--[if IE 6]>. Used to provide and hide code for IE.
- Content advisor - Taken over by Windows Parental Controls.
Internet Explorer 9
Internet Explorer 9 was released in March 2011.
New Features:
- Updated interface - Allows you to control and focus on site viewing.
- Speedy performance - IE9 is much faster than previous IE versions. Hardware-accelerated text, video, and graphics improve website performance, making them run like programs already installed on your computer. Additionally, IE9 utilizes the video card to make everything faster. -Pin Websites to the Windows 7 Taskbar - Microsoft has partnerships with many websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pandora, allowing you to see a taskbar that supports jump lists.
-Unified Address Bar - A unified address bar for navigating websites or starting a search.
-Redesigned New Tab Page - Allows you to quickly access your frequently visited sites. You can also reopen closed tabs, your last browsing session, or start a new non-private browsing session.
-Improved Add-on Management - A new feature called Add-on Performance Adviser lets you know what's slowing down your browser and allows you to remove it.
-Better Privacy Features - Tracking protection can limit websites from tracking your information.
-Enhanced Support for HTML5/CSS3 - IE9 also supports SVG and Canvas graphics.
-New Download Manager - Lets you view files downloaded through the browser and notifies you if a file is malicious or contains a virus. It also allows you to pause and resume downloads later.
-Enhanced Tab Management - You can drag tabs from one window to another to move them between windows. When you place a tab in a new window, it doesn't need to reload the page.
Internet Explorer 8
Internet Explorer 8 was released in March 2009.
New Features:
-Accelerators - Provide quick access to web services. Users can find and send information from the web. For example, on a restaurant's website, users can click within the page to get a map, news, and information about the restaurant, its blog, or share it on Sina Weibo.
-Web Slices - A feature similar to RSS, allowing users to subscribe to content directly within a webpage.
-Compatibility View - Displays webpages in the IE7 mode.
-Search Suggestions - Provides suggested content based on your input.
-New Tab Features - Reopens accidentally closed tabs and groups related tabs by color coding.
-Tab Isolation - Prevents the entire browser from closing due to a faulty website; only the faulty tab will be closed.
-Non-Private Browsing - Browses the web without saving any data (like passwords, cookies, browsing history, etc.).
-SmartScreen Filter - Protects you from installing malicious software that can expose your data, privacy, and identity, and potentially damage your computer and valuable data.
IE 8 fully supports CSS 2.1. Additionally, it fixed "many cross-browser inconsistencies, such as get/set/removeAttribute, default attributes, Attribute object, and the <q> tag."
Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7.0 was released in November 2006. IE7 was the standard browser in Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
Internet Explorer 7 offers improved navigation, web search via toolbars, advanced printing, instant search, and RSS feeds.
New Features:
-Advanced Printing - Internet Explorer 7 will automatically scale the webpage to be printed so that the entire page fits within the printed page. Print options include adjustable margins, customizable page layouts, removable headers and footers, and options to print selected text only.
-Instant Search Box - Web search using your favorite search provider can now be added to the search box in the toolbar, eliminating the clutter of multiple separate toolbars. You can easily select a provider from the dropdown list or add more providers.
-Favorites Center - Quick and convenient access to favorites, tab groups, browsing history, and RSS feed subscriptions. The Favorites Center can be expanded as needed and positioned anywhere for easy access.
-RSS Feeds - Internet Explorer 7 automatically detects RSS feeds on sites and lights up the icon on the toolbar. You can click the icon to preview and subscribe to RSS feeds, so you are notified automatically when content updates. You can read RSS feeds directly in the browser, browse key events, and filter views using search terms or specific site categories.
-Tabbed Browsing - View multiple sites in a single browser window. Easily switch from one site to another through tabs at the top of the browser frame.
-Quick Tabs - Easily select and navigate between open tabs by showing all thumbnails in a single window.
-Tab Groups - Tabs can be grouped and saved by logical categories, so you can open multiple tabs with a single click. Tab groups can be conveniently set as the home group so that the entire tab group opens every time you start Internet Explorer.
-Page Zoom - Zoom into individual pages, including text and images, to focus on specific content or for visually impaired users to see content more clearly.
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6.0 is the standard browser in Windows XP, released in August 2001.
Windows XP is based on Windows 2000 and succeeds Windows 98, Millennium, and Windows 2000.
Internet Explorer 5
Internet Explorer 5 was the first mainstream browser to support XML.
Version 5.5 (released in July 2000) was for Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and Windows 2000. It supported XML/XSL, CSS, printing (print preview), and HTC behaviors.
Version 5.01 (released in November 1999) mainly fixed a bug in 5.0.
Version 5.0 (released in March 1999) was the first mainstream browser to support XML.
Older Internet Explorer Versions
Most users are no longer using older versions of Internet Explorer. Web developers ignore them, and their features are outdated.
IE 4.0 (released in 1997) had good support for CSS and DOM but did not support XML.
IE 3.0 (released in 1996) has a usage rate of less than 0.1%.
IE 2.0 (released in 1995) is too old and no one uses it anymore.
IE 1.0 (released in 1995). Does anyone even remember it?
Internet Explorer for Macintosh
Version 5.1.7 was the last Internet Explorer for Mac OS 8 and 9, released in July 2003.
Version 5.2.3 was the last Internet Explorer for Mac OS X, released in June 2003.
Note: Version 5.2.3 requires special features in Mac OS X. Users of Mac OS 8 and 9 must download version 5.1.7.
Microsoft ended technical support for Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31, 2005.
Mac users are recommended to use other browsers, such as Apple's Safari browser.
Microsoft Internet Explorer Resources
Microsoft's Internet Explorer site Microsoft's Internet Explorer support site