Internet Explorer support is set to end on June 15, 2022 on most versions of Windows 10. For most people, you might even be surprised to hear that Internet Explorer 11 still exists. However, there are plenty of businesses that not only still use it, but still need it for legacy support.

Still, Microsoft has been planning on phasing it out for a while now. The June 15 date affects all versions of Windows 10 except for current Long-Term Servicing Channel versions, including 1507, 1607, and 1809. Microsoft 365 no longer supports IE11 after August 17 of this year.

The plan, moving forward, is for these businesses to use Edge. You might recall that Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser actually has an IE Mode, so when you open a site that requires Internet Explorer, it can automatically open in a compatibility mode.

Perhaps the most interesting part of today's announcement is that Internet Explorer is actually not going to be removed from Windows 10. You just won't be able to use it. The reason is because the engine is required in order to use IE Mode in Microsoft Edge. Indeed, the browser is going to ship with Windows 10 for the foreseeable future.

One of the biggest selling points that Microsoft is using for Edge is that you just get better compatibility. Today's web is most certainly not built for Internet Explorer. It's built for Chromium, the open-source browser that's used in Edge and Chrome. You get that for your regular browsing, and then you still get Internet Explorer 11 when you need it.

The date announced today applies to Semi-Annual Channel versions of Windows 10. That means that alongside LTSC versions, Windows 7 (assuming you pay for security updates) and Windows 8.1 is also not affected. Those older operating systems will no longer be supported after January 2023. Microsoft has a list of IE Mode end of support dates as well, but they align with the end of support dates for that version of Windows.

It was also made clear that Microsoft is not making exceptions. Unlike other platforms, like Windows 7, the company won't be selling extended security updates. You can find the full FAQ here.