In an expected turn of events, Microsoft has removed support for Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7. The decision also comes in the wake of Microsoft’s big push for its latest browser, Edge based on Chromium.
Microsoft ends support for IE 11 on Windows 7
Microsoft wants its loyal Windows 7 customers to upgrade to Windows 10 immediately or purchase a new Windows 10 machine. Although Microsoft has already launched Chromium Edge, many individuals and enterprise users continue to use Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7. If you go on to download IE11 for Windows 7, you will see the following message:
If you’re running Windows 7, the latest version of Internet Explorer that you can install is Internet Explorer 11. However, Internet Explorer is no longer supported on Windows 7. Instead, we recommend you install the new Microsoft Edge. The new Microsoft Edge was built to bring you the best of the web, with more control and more privacy as you browse.
Recently, a security exploit was discovered in Internet Explorer 11 which was exploited cyber criminals to launch ‘limited targeted attacks’ on Windows machines. The perpetrators of the cyber crime managed to hijack some PCs by corrupting the memory used by the IE scripting engine.
Microsoft confirmed this news and assured users to find a fix for the flaw in a time-bound manner. Taking cue from this incident, Microsoft may have expedited the process of phasing out support for its flagship browser.
So, considering the high risks associated with this newly discovered vulnerability, it is advisable for Windows 7 users to switch to the new Edge as soon as possible.
Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) was the eleventh and final version of the Internet Explorer web browser rolled out by Microsoft. The browser was officially released on October 17, 2013 for Windows 8.1 and on November 7, 2013 for Windows 7.
