In this post I will discuss on how to disable Internet explorer and redirect to Microsoft Edge. Microsoft has retired Internet Explorer on 15th June 2022, as Microsoft edge is the future, organizations should focus on this browser which is there for a while from quite sometimes.
Decision to make – whether to remove or disable the Internet Explorer
This is an important aspect to understand whether to remove or just disable the Internet Explorer.
What will happen when you remove Internet Explorer
There are still lots of legacy application (Infact 1600+ legacy apps on average) which works only on Internet Explorer, till the time these applications are not fully ready to work on Edge, we have to rely on internet explorer.
To resolve this issue, enterprise mode exists which is applicable for Internet Explorer 11. This is known as dual-browser experience which allows you to use Edge with Enterprise mode which allows backward compatibility to these legacy apps.
Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029. Check the link for more details.
Disable Internet Explorer and redirect it to Edge
In organizations with existing legacy apps, it is recommended not to use remove Internet Explorer. Rather disable IE an
Rather than removing Internet Explorer, disable it and the activity related to IE11 will be redirected to Microsoft Edge. You will see following behaviour when you disable IE:
- IE11 icons will be removed from Start Menu and Task Bar.
- If you try to launch file associated with IE11, it will be redirected to open in Microsoft Edge.
- When you try to launch IE11 directly by executing iexplore.exe, Microsoft Edge will be launched.
Note: For legacy applications to work with Microsoft Edge, Enterprise Mode site list should contain applications that are configured to open in IE 11. Once IE11 is disabled, the url’s for backward compatible applications will open in IE mode on Microsoft Edge and you will be able to see the icon related to IE which will give you indication that this URL is opened in IE mode.
How to disable Internet Explorer using Intune
We can disable the Internet explorer using Intune, this can be achieve through Group Policy as well.
Login to MEM Admin center and navigate to Devices > Configuration profiles
Click on Create profile.
Under Create a profile, select Platform as “Windows 10 and later”, select Profile type as Templates and select Template name “Custom”, click on Create.
Specify name as Disable Internet Explorer 11 and click Next.
Under Configuration settings, we need to configure OMA-URI Settings, click on Add.
Under OMA-URI Settings blade specify:
Name: Disable IE11
Description: Block IE and redirect it to Edge
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/InternetExplorer/DisableInternetExplorerApp
Data Type: String
Value: <enabled/><data id=”NotifyDisableIEOptions” value=”2″/>
We are applying the Device-wide settings, hence using ./Device for OMA-URI. The scope for this policy is valid for User and Device both, you may check following link for Internet Explorer Policy CSP.
Once the settings are provided, we can see single row of OMA-URI settings, click Next.
Under Assignments, assign it to specific group you wanted to target and click Next.
Verify the info under Review + create and click on Create.
How to disable Internet Explorer through Group Policy
Group policy is another way through we can disable Internet Explorer and redirect it to Microsoft Edge.
Login to one of the servers and create / edit existing group policy. Navigate to Computer Configuration \ Policies \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Internet Explorer
Under right pane, you will see Disable Internet Explorer 11 as a standalone browser, double click it.
Enable the policy. We have additional options available under “Notify that Internet Explorer 11 browser is disabled” as Never, Always and Once per user. Select Always if you wanted to get prompted for error every time.
Verify Settings on Windows 10 device
Login to Windows 10 device. Once the policy is applied, try launching internet explorer. You will get the message:
This action is restricted. For more information, please contact your system administrator.
The URL’s will also be redirected to edge for applications related to IE Mode.
Important Links
Disable Internet Explorer 11 | Microsoft Docs
What is Internet Explorer mode? | Microsoft Docs
Lifecycle FAQ – Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Docs
