Internet Explorer 11 will be the last version released by Microsoft, as stated in last year's announcement. In 1995, Internet Explorer made its debut on Windows desktop PCs, and by 2004, it had 95% of the market to itself.
Mozilla Firefox, Apple's Safari, and Google Chrome currently have the majority of market share. Microsoft Edge, which debuted in 2015 alongside Windows 10, is recommended for users who wish to continue with the company.
As users embraced new tools to access platforms like Google Search, Facebook, and YouTube, Internet Explorer's popularity was hurt by the release of quicker browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
The death blow was then undoubtedly dealt by the emergence of smartphones, with Google Chrome on Android phones and Apple's Safari browser coming pre-installed on Apple devices.
According to independent online analytics company StatCounter, tablet and mobile internet usage surpassed desktop usage globally for the first time in October 2016.
Additionally, earlier that year, StatCounter reported that Google Chrome accounted for more than 60% of all desktop internet usage globally, with Internet Explorer and Edge's combined desktop market share for the first time closely trailing Firefox.
For developers and users wishing to use legacy programs, Edge keeps an internal "IE mode."
Microsoft claims that previous versions of Windows, such as Windows 8.1, Windows 7 Extended Security Updates, and restricted editions of Windows 10, will continue to support access to its heritage desktop browser.
Since it has been pre-installed on Windows computers for more than 20 years, Internet Explorer's legacy will undoubtedly endure even when it is retired.
In 1995, Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft, predicted that the release of Windows 95 and Internet Explorer would help the company ride the "internet tidal wave."
Internet Explorer will be remembered as one of the key applications that helped shape how the internet is used and accessed even today, despite the fact that his vision of "a microcomputer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software" may now seem reminiscent of the dial-up internet era.
We've managed to highlight a story of one Facebook user, Mark Gomes and you can read his experience with Internet Explorer here below.
