Windows 7: Internet Explorer 11 reaches end of support

[German]Microsoft axes the Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 SP1 and declared the browser has reached 'end of support' for this operating system. This may be read now on the IE download pages.

As of January 14, 2020, Windows 7 SP1 has indeed dropped out of support (I reported here in the blog). At the same time, Microsoft Edge was also offered for Windows 7 SP1 as Final for download and installation (see links at the end of this article). 

IE 11 download page reports EOL for Windows 7

Now Microsoft has pulled the plug for Internet Explorer 11 under Windows 7 SP1. Tero Alhonen has noticed that there is now an end-of-life announcement for IE 11 under Windows 7 SP1 from Microsoft. I saw it a few hours ago on Twitter.

Internet Explorer 11 is no longer supported on Windows 7. Instead, we recommend you install the new Microsoft Edge https://t.co/8NVG9eg67i pic.twitter.com/1J1PtCYBXG

— Tero Alhonen (@teroalhonen) January 19, 2020

The announcement can be found on the Internet Explorer download page if Windows 7 is selected as the operating system:

If you're running Windows 7, the latest version of Internet Explorer that you can install is Internet Explorer 11. However, Internet Explorer 11 is no longer supported on Windows 7. Instead, we recommend you install the new Microsoft Edge. The new Microsoft Edge was built to bring you the best of the web, with more control and more privacy as you browse. 

Microsoft recommends the Edge Browser at this point. Of course, IE 11 can still be downloaded from the relevant web page as an offline installation package.

Are there any updates for IE 11 in future?

Support for Internet Explorer 10 will expire at the end of January 2020, as updates for Internet Explorer 10 will end on January 31, 2020 (see End of Support for Microsoft Products in January 2020).

Of course Microsoft will continue to provide (cumulative) security updates for Internet Explorer 11. This browser is also included in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, but in Windows 10 the patches are distributed via cumulative updates. And whether an IE 11 update for Windows 8.1 can be installed on Windows 7, we have to wait and see.

On the other hand, users of Windows 7 SP1 ESU program still need to receive security updates for Internet Explorer 11. It remains to be seen in February 2020 whether there will be separate updates that are required when installing Windows 7 SP1 Security-only updates.

It will be interesting to see whether the vulnerability described in the article Warning: 0-Day vulnerability in Internet Explorer (01/17/2020) will be patched broadly in IE 11, i.e. also for Windows 7 SP1? For home users who are still running Windows 7 SP1, I recommend that you uninstall Internet Explorer 11 and then use an alternative browser. But be warned: This could cause collateral damage, e.g. because certain Outlook functions are no longer usable (see Outlook Error: Operation – it's a mess).

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