https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-removing-internet-explorer-from-pcs/ Skip to main content Open Navigation Menu To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Close Alert WIRED To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Close Alert Sign In Search * Backchannel * Business * Culture * Gear * Ideas * Science * Security * Podcasts * Video * Artificial Intelligence * Climate * Games * Newsletters * Magazine * Events * Wired Insider * Jobs * Coupons Image may contain: Logo, Symbol, Trademark, and Text * The Best Vibrators for Everyone * Our Fave Bluetooth Speakers * Pour-Over Coffee Gear and Tips * How to Use the Raycast Launcher App * Get Our Deals Newsletter * Gadget Lab Newsletter The Internet Explorer logo being put into a computer trash with a mouse cursor to the right Photograph: Binnur Ege Gurun Kocak/Getty Images Boone Ashworth Gear Feb 18, 2023 9:00 AM Microsoft Is Forcibly Removing Internet Explorer From Your PC Also: Instagram launches a new messaging system for creators, and Minecraft gets some new branded casual footwear. * * * * * * * * Microsoft's Internet Explorer deserved to die. Or at least to be put out of its misery. The 27-year-old browser has long been bogged down by performance and security problems, and Microsoft has fully moved on to its Edge browser. (While nearly everyone else has moved on to Google Chrome.) Microsoft officially murdered the beleaguered IE last year, though its ghostly presence still lingers on Windows PCs around the world. In an effort to scrape up the remains, Microsoft has now begun automatically removing instances of Internet Explorer from users' computers. A software update to the Edge browser that began rolling out this week will permanently disable Internet Explorer 11 on any Windows computer that still has it installed. In some ways, it is a fitting end. Microsoft had a habit of forcing Internet Explorer into nearly everything, to the point where the practice sparked a federal antitrust suit against the company in 1998. Going in and forcibly removing the software feels like a characteristically overbearing end to the cycle. Of course, all things are just made of stardust, and the fragmented remains of Internet Explorer will continue on in some form or another. Visual elements of the browser like its icons and shortcuts will remain on desktops until a Windows update due later this year zaps those too, and Microsoft says it will support some basic compatibility features with Internet Explorer within the Edge browser until 2029. Here's some other tech news. Instagram Channels Instagram is getting a new broadcast feature called Channels that allows individual accounts to send messages directly to followers who opt in. Instagram parent company Meta announced the feature (itself a clone of a similar feature in Telegram) this week, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg showing off the first instance of it. Channels work like a sort of one-way group chat. One account posts the content, be that a photo, video, or text message, and followers can respond with emoji reactions or answer polls. The feature is in early testing right now, with only a few users able to experiment with it. Channels are also available via Facebook Messenger, again in limited early testing. Minecrocs Where is your god now? Minecraft-themed Crocs are real. "Craft as you are in complete Crocs Comfort," cries the collaboration's chaotic commercial copy. Also announced on Microsoft's official website, the famously fashion-adjacent shoe brand has partnered with the voxel crafting game to produce four pairs of shoes, from elevated clogs to simple slides. The comfy kicks sport Minecraft's distinctive green-and-brown color palette and can come with detachable charms in the shape of classic Minecraft characters like "Steve" and "pig." They are both real and available for purchase. Gettin' Chatty If you've spent more than one second on the internet this week, you'll have noticed the chatbots are everywhere. They're generating endless art and conversation and inspiring packed conferences filled with marketing evangelism and cringey freestyle raps about AI. Chatbots can now even help with online search and occasionally succumb to existential panic attacks in the process. (They're just like us!) Microsoft revitalized its floundering Bing search engine by deploying a generative AI bot to guide people through search. Not to be outdone, Google rushed to announce its own search bot called Bard. It's the biggest rivalry so far in the increasingly competitive AI ecosystem. Most Popular * Screenshot from the Hogwarts Legacy game featuring a wizard character pointing their wand to the sky as a large explosion happens in the background Culture Review: There Is No Magic in Hogwarts Legacy Jaina Grey * [undefined] Gear Give Your Back a Break With Our Favorite Office Chairs Julian Chokkattu * [undefined] Gear The 12 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride Adrienne So * [undefined] Gear Take Your Tunes Anywhere With Our Fave Bluetooth Speakers Parker Hall * This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED senior writer Will Knight joins the show to chat about chatbots and how everyone is racing to cash in on generative AI. More Great WIRED Stories * The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters! * The spaceport at the edge of the world * Your tech stuff is getting slightly more repairable * Covid can boost men's responses to flu vaccines * Review: There is no magic in Hogwarts Legacy * The end of the Zoom Boom * [?] Explore AI like never before with our new database * [?] Want the best tools to get healthy? Check out our Gear team's picks for the best fitness trackers, running gear (including shoes and socks), and best headphones [undefined] Boone Ashworth is a staff writer on the WIRED Gear desk, where he also produces the weekly Gadget Lab podcast. He graduated from San Francisco State University and still lives in the city. Currently, he has opened too many browser tabs. Staff Writer * TopicsGear RoundupMicrosoftBrowsersInternet Explorer More from WIRED A fuzzy illuminated set of blue VR goggles Apple's VR Vision Comes Into Focus Plus: Microsoft stops selling Windows 10, Substack gets a supersecret Finsta mode, and TikTok tweaks its DMs. Boone Ashworth A monkey using a smartphone on a black background This Tool Makes Twitter More Bearable to Read Between the ads, the "For You" tab, and all the promoted tweets, Twitter is getting harder to read. Nitter, an open source alternative, can help. Justin Pot iMac and MacBook computers on purple backdrop All the Top New Features in MacOS Ventura Apple has officially released MacOS 13. Here's how to download the latest desktop operating system on your Mac. Brenda Stolyar Razer Viper Mini computer gaming mouse Razer's Cage-Like Mouse Is a $280 Goth-Metal Jewel Plus: Twitter squeezes more money out of its users, AI ain't stopping anytime soon, and Samsung hypes new phones in an era of decreasing sales. 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