Windows 10 Internet Explorer Won’t Open: What to Do Now That It Has Been Retired

You click the Internet Explorer icon to use an old company portal or government website, and Microsoft Edge opens instead, or nothing happens at all. When Windows 10 Internet Explorer won’t open, it slot online is not a fault on your PC.

Microsoft retired the Internet Explorer 11 desktop app on most versions of Windows 10 in June 2022. In February 2023, an Edge update permanently disabled it, so opening Internet Explorer now redirects to Edge.

Websites that still need Internet Explorer can usually be opened using “Internet Explorer mode” inside Edge.

Setting that up takes only a few minutes.

Some people discover the change only when an older internal company system or government form suddenly refuses to load properly in their usual browser.

What Might Be Causing It

Internet Explorer fails to open for these reasons:

• Internet Explorer 11 has been retired and redirects to Microsoft Edge.
• A website or shortcut still tries to launch iexplore.exe directly.
• The website relies on old technologies such as ActiveX controls.
• Internet Explorer mode is not enabled in Edge.

Very old business software, intranet pages, and some banking or tax portals still depend on Internet Explorer behaviour.

First Steps to Try

Use Edge’s Internet Explorer mode.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Go to Settings > Default browser.
3. Set “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode” to Allow, and restart Edge.
4. Open the website, select the menu, and choose “Reload in Internet Explorer mode.”
5. Look for the IE icon in the address bar, which confirms the mode is active.

For sites you use often, add them to the Internet Explorer mode pages list on the same settings page so they always open in that mode.

Internet Explorer mode pages added manually stay in the list for 30 days and then need to be added again, which is normal behaviour.

If the Problem Continues

Check compatibility.

1. Update Microsoft Edge to the latest version.
2. Install any plug-ins the website requires, if they are still supported.
3. Ask the website owner whether a modern version exists.
4. On work devices, ask IT whether IE mode is configured by policy.
5. Use a different modern browser if the website supports it.

Shortcuts on the desktop that point to Internet Explorer can be deleted and replaced with shortcuts to the same websites in Edge.

Protect Your Data First

Avoid downloading old versions of Internet Explorer from unofficial websites. They are unsupported and insecure. Use IE mode only for websites that truly need it.

The Bottom Line

Internet Explorer is retired and redirects to Edge. Use Internet Explorer mode in Edge for older websites and switch to modern browsers wherever possible.

Plan to move away from websites that only work in Internet Explorer, because Microsoft has said that Internet Explorer mode itself will not be supported forever.