How Do I Update My Internet Explorer?

Unless you live under a rock, you must be familiar with the internet. It’s a giant repository of knowledge and entertainment that is seemingly boundless. With the help of a browser, people can search for information, watch movies, listen to music, and communicate with the rest of the world. And that is just the tip of the iceberg as to what a browser is capable of.

Updating Internet Explorer in 2022

Internet Explorer is a browser that you commonly find on Windows devices. According to Statista, there are currently 69.1 million IE users worldwide. If you happen to be among them, you might be wondering how to update your browser version. Luckily for you, it’s not a very difficult thing to do.

Finding Out Your Internet Explorer Version

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of updating, let’s first find out the version currently running on your computer. This information is essential because Windows released its final (and now deprecated) version of IE in October 2013. If you are on IE 11, you will have no newer versions to look forward to. However, there’s always Edge, which we’ll discuss further on.

To locate your version, load your Internet Explorer and navigate to the Settings menu option. You can do this by clicking on the cogwheel icon. Next, click on About or About Internet Explorer, depending on your edition. You’ll then see a popup giving you the information you require.

One important thing to note is that all Windows versions have different capabilities. In other words, you will not be able to run IE 11 on Windows 8 and RT, and so on. If you are on an earlier OS, you are limited to IE 8 or 9.

Updating Your Internet Explorer

If you set IE to update automatically, you won’t need to worry about doing this manually. To toggle this setting, head over to About Internet Explorer using the steps outlined above. On the popup, check the box for Install new versions automatically.

Are you currently using Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10? If so, an updated version is installed the moment it’s available. However, if you aren’t or would like to be absolutely sure, click on the Start button and navigate to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update. Now, select Check for updates. It isn’t necessary to uninstall your current version prior to updating, as the newer IE will replace the outdated one.

Reasons To Keep Internet Explorer Updated

Every iteration of IE comes with new functionality and bug fixes. By updating to a later version, you gain better security features, tab management, private browsing, session management, RSS integration, and faster processing. Other than that, the newer Internet Explorer versions also provide more robust support for HTML5.

When you stay on an outdated IE variation, websites might not appear as they should. Another reason why a webpage might appear distorted is if you do not have JS activated. Thankfully, it is very straightforward to enable JavaScript on Internet Explorer.

Putting IE To Rest

Microsoft ended its support for IE in August of 2021. Currently, the default browser on Windows versions 10 and 11 is Edge. For sites requiring Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge provides built-in legacy support with its IE mode. This is set to continue right through 2029 on supported operating systems.

The new Microsoft Edge is fast, fluid, and comes with better security features. Other than that, Edge also has an intuitive screenshot tool, annotation capabilities, distraction-free browsing, Cortana integration, and more. Thanks to all these encouraging implementations, the online community is slowly but steadily migrating to Edge from other browsers like Chrome and Firefox.