Microsoft will begin automatically redirecting Internet Explorer users to the Edge browser in the coming months. Microsoft recently announced the retirement of its oldest browser, Internet Explorer. It said the future of Internet Explorer is now Microsoft Edge.

When using Internet Explorer, users will see a prompt that the browser is no longer supported and needs to use Microsoft Edge. Microsoft will soon release an update that permanently disables Internet Explorer on Windows. Internet Explorer is officially retired after 27 years of service.

According to a Microsoft blog post, users still using Internet Explorer will be automatically redirected to the Microsoft Edge browser when the browser icon is clicked. Consumers or business owners who use Internet Explorer for their services will see a prompt about the redirect, which will then take them to the Edge browser. If the site requires Internet Explorer support, it will still open in Microsoft Edge but in IE mode. For users’ convenience, Microsoft will also add a “Reload in IE mode” button to the Edge toolbar.

Explaining the situation, Sean Lyndersay, general manager of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, said: “Eventually, Internet Explorer will be permanently disabled as part of a future Windows update, at which point the Internet Explorer icon will be removed from their device.”

The retirement of Internet Explorer will affect Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT-supported editions.

“All these versions of Internet Explorer today will not be removed immediately but will be gradually redirected to Microsoft Edge on all of these devices over the next few months,” Lyndersay said.

In addition, Lyndersay revealed, “For certain versions of Windows that are currently supported and used in critical environments, we will continue to support Internet Explorer on those versions until they cease support. This includes all currently supported versions of Windows 10 LTSC (including IoT) and all Windows Server editions, as well as Windows 10 China Government Edition, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates (ESU).”

As mentioned above, Microsoft recently announced the retirement of Internet Explorer after 27 years of service.