Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer (IE), World Wide Web (WWW) browser and set of technologies created by Microsoft Corporation, a leading American computer software company. After being launched in 1995, Internet Explorer became one of the most popular tools for accessing the Internet. There were 11 versions between 1995 and 2013.

In July 1995 Microsoft released Internet Explorer 1.0 as an add-on to the Windows 95 operating system. By November the company had produced IE 2.0 for both Apple Inc.’s Macintosh and Microsoft’s Windows 32-bit operating systems. This release featured support for the virtual reality modeling language (VRML), browser “cookies” (data saved by websites within the user’s browser), and secure socket layering (SSL). The success of IE and the rapidly expanding online world led Microsoft to produce several editions of the program in rapid succession. In August 1996 IE 3.0, designed for use with Windows 95, added important components such as Internet Mail and News (an e-mail and newsgroup client) and Windows Media Player, a computer graphics program that allowed users to view GIF (graphics interchange format) and JPEG (joint photographic experts group) files; IE 3.0 also supported MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) sound files. (Although new IE versions for the Macintosh often lagged behind Windows releases, Microsoft never discontinued its support for the Macintosh.)

Microsoft integrated IE 3.0 into its Windows operating system (that is, it came “bundled” ready-to-use within the operating system of personal computers), which had the effect of reducing competition from other Internet browser manufacturers. One of its competitors, Netscape Communications Corporation, the maker of the Navigator Web browser, complained to the federal government, which in May 1998, along with 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, sued Microsoft for being an unlawful monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act. In April 2000 Judge Thomas Jackson found Microsoft guilty and ordered its breakup. On appeal, however, the breakup order was overturned, but the appeals court did agree that Microsoft was an illegal monopoly.

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

IE 4.0, which came out in 1997, was tightly integrated into the company’s main operating systems, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. This incarnation replaced Internet Mail and News with Outlook Express, a freeware version of Microsoft Office Outlook, the company’s commercial e-mail and newsgroup client. IE 5, released in September 1998, expanded Web design capabilities and allowed for further personalization. IE 6, released in 2001 and designed to work with the Windows XP operating system, featured more privacy and security options. IE 6 was Microsoft’s primary Web browser until the 2006 development of IE 7, which was compatible with the Windows Vista operating system. IE 8, which was released in 2009, added more support for Web 2.0 features.

IE 9 was released in 2011 and featured increased speed and compliance with the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) 5 standards for video and audio. Later that same year, IE 10 brought the browser further into complete adherence to the HTML 5 standards. IE 11, released in 2013, had features built for touch screens such as those on smartphones and tablets. In January 2016 Microsoft discontinued its active technical support for all other versions of Internet Explorer except IE 11. Microsoft Edge replaced Internet Explorer as the company’s preferred browser in 2016. Microsoft ended support for IE 11 in June 2022 and announced that the browser would be disabled in a future update of Windows.