Internet Explorer version history

<a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer/uL8a4Y5l">Internet Explorer</a> (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a series of <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical</a> <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browsers</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a> and included as part of the <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Microsoft Windows</a> line of <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating systems</a>, starting in 1995.
The first version of Internet Explorer, (at that time named Microsoft Internet Explorer, later referred to as Internet Explorer 1) made its debut on August 24, 1995. It was a reworked version of <a href="/facts/Spyglass_Mosaic/qrA52r1E">Spyglass Mosaic</a>, which Microsoft licensed from <a href="/facts/Spyglass,_Inc./qbCQlXjJ">Spyglass Inc.</a>, like many other companies initiating browser development. It was first released as part of the add-on package <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Plus!/zIAj0g88">Plus! for Windows 95</a> that year. Later versions were available as free downloads, or in <a href="/facts/Service_pack/93y8YzCs">service packs</a>, and included in the <a href="/facts/Original_Equipment_Manufacturer/hmUhIWaS">OEM</a> service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows.
Originally Microsoft Internet Explorer only ran on Windows using an Intel compatible (<a href="/facts/X86/Kypq5fgu">x86</a>) processor. Current versions also run on <a href="/facts/X64/cyWvUFlP">x64</a>, <a href="/facts/32-bit/TDMVce8s">32-bit</a> <a href="/facts/ARMv7/SALsYA79">ARMv7</a>, <a href="/facts/PowerPC/DqmM9y50">PowerPC</a> and <a href="/facts/IA-64/m6egpGno">IA-64</a>. Versions on Windows have supported <a href="/facts/MIPS_architecture/efV4KgK4">MIPS</a>, <a href="/facts/Alpha_AXP/4eN7LuXG">Alpha AXP</a> and <a href="/facts/16-bit/bTGS44Ne">16-bit</a> and 32-bit <a href="/facts/X86/Kypq5fgu">x86</a> but currently support only 32-bit or <a href="/facts/64-bit/AgvkQHkM">64-bit</a>. A version exists for <a href="/facts/Xbox_360/dYlE3mL5">Xbox 360</a> called Internet Explorer for Xbox using PowerPC and an embedded OEM version called Pocket Internet Explorer, later rebranded <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_Mobile/RW8maHFA">Internet Explorer Mobile</a>, which is currently based on Internet Explorer 9 and made for <a href="/facts/Windows_Phone/khEg0rGT">Windows Phone</a> using ARMv7, <a href="/facts/Windows_CE/bMUhjgqQ">Windows CE</a>, and previously, based on Internet Explorer 7 for <a href="/facts/Windows_Mobile/YfskR7FS">Windows Mobile</a>. It remains in development alongside the desktop versions.
Internet Explorer has supported other operating systems with <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_for_Mac/5UFTCbja">Internet Explorer for Mac</a> (using <a href="/facts/Motorola_68020/LfHs3kMh">Motorola 68020</a>+, PowerPC) and <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_for_UNIX/oI2fypE7">Internet Explorer for UNIX</a> (<a href="/facts/Solaris_(operating_system)/KPfT98EJ">Solaris</a> using <a href="/facts/SPARC/m7KhEtET">SPARC</a> and <a href="/facts/HP-UX/hIvLDdJF">HP-UX</a> using <a href="/facts/PA-RISC/gjDs1HEh">PA-RISC</a>), which have been discontinued.
Since its first release, Microsoft has added features and technologies such as basic <a href="/facts/HTML_tables/s4TKzjUP">table</a> display (in <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_1/jbFUJATw">version 1.5</a>); <a href="/facts/XMLHttpRequest/3FHofhdx">XMLHttpRequest</a> (in <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_5/HaSYzQEg">version 5</a>), which adds creation of <a href="/facts/Dynamic_web_page/psjqGKBx">dynamic web pages</a>; and <a href="/facts/Internationalized_domain_name/nbaJweyM">Internationalized Domain Names</a> (in <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_7/P5FLswaN">version 7</a>), which allow Web sites to have native-language addresses with non-<a href="/facts/Latin_alphabet/pqWVHpBz">Latin</a> characters. The browser has also received scrutiny throughout its development for use of third-party technology (such as the <a href="/facts/Source_code/o9J6Jv23">source code</a> of <a href="/facts/Spyglass_Mosaic/qrA52r1E">Spyglass Mosaic</a>, used without royalty in early versions) and security and privacy <a href="/facts/Vulnerability_(computing)/jg0Gr71M">vulnerabilities</a>, and both <a href="/facts/United_States_v._Microsoft/wnUnBagb">the United States</a> and <a href="/facts/European_Union_Microsoft_competition_case/RvY1WQYW">the European Union</a> have alleged that integration of Internet Explorer with Windows has been to the detriment of other browsers.
<a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_10/I9NuSem7">Internet Explorer 10</a> and newer on <a href="/facts/Windows_8x/7CSfTCco">Windows 8x</a> have an interface allowing for use as both a desktop application and as a <a href="/facts/Tablet_computer/6pGX2I7b">tablet</a>/<a href="/facts/Touchscreen/zpSKDFpe">touchscreen</a> application.

Internet Explorer version history open-in-new

Internet Explorer version history