Internet Explorer for Mac

Internet Explorer for Mac is a legacy browser application developed by Microsoft to enable home, education, and business users to easily explore the web and access numerous cloud services and experiences.

Originally released to the macOS platform in April of 1996 as the default browser on Mac computers, it had the features and capabilities of the 5th version of the Windows app.

Over the following decade, this browser received a number of upgrades and features, enabling Mac users to access increasingly complex and dynamic online content, including web applications, multimedia platforms, cloud-hosted services, real-time video games, and much more.

⚠️ Note: This product is not developed anymore and might not function properly.

Support for Internet Explorer 11 has ended on June 15, 2022. If any site you visit needs Internet Explorer 11, you can reload it with Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge.

The last version of this app developed for Mac computers was released in the summer of 2003, and by early 2005 it was no longer bundled with the basic installation of the Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).

The Windows version continued to be developed up to the summer of 2022 when the support for the final version of Internet Explorer 11 ended.

Today, this browser can be tested on Intel-based Mac hardware via the version of the Mac app (supported are macOS X 10.6 and earlier), without support for emulation via Rosetta on the newer Apple Silicon processors.

However, the legacy of this app continues to this day with the special Internet Explorer 11 compatibility layer present in the latest version of Edge - a new and modern browser developed by Microsoft for PC, Mac, and portable systems.

Warning – This product is not in development and may not properly load and render modern web content.

Users are recommended to download modern web browsers such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, or others.

Key Features

• Popular Legacy Browser – A browser that started it all, capturing the majority share of online web traffic.
• Tabbed Browsing – Streamlined access to web content via an innovative Tab interface.
• Compatibility with Web Standards – Optimized for reliable and accurate rendering of web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
• Enhanced Security – Built-in security features developed by Microsoft.
• User-friendly Interface – Easy-to-use browser experience for users of all ages and knowledge levels.
• Customization Options – Dramatically increase functionality with 3rd party plugins and custom toolbars.

Installation and Setup

An archived version of this legacy web browser can be found and downloaded from the internet. Users are recommended to download from secure sources, where they are sure that the app installer will not compromise their local machine with malicious content.

The app can be installed easily as any other Mac software, although the users should not expect to get access to modern app services found today, such as built-in support for account synchronization, bookmark cloud syncing, modern web service extensions, or any other advanced features.

How to Use

While the basic functionality of this web browser can still serve some basic job functions, the old technology that powers its rendering engine cannot provide reliable compatibility with modern web content.

Due to this issue, many modern websites cannot be loaded properly, and in some cases, modern online destinations will be completely inaccessible from within this old app.

In addition to that, security features built into this app are incredibly outdated, and they will not provide any protection against modern online threats.

Users are highly recommended to only use this app for experimental and test purposes and to primarily browse the web via some other modern browser that has up-to-date security and compatibility features.

User Interface

The latest version of Internet Explorer web browser for Mac (its 2003 version) features a traditional IE interface that promotes fast access to a large set of control buttons on the top, an address field, a small bookmark bar, and a vertically placed tab navigation module located at the left edge of the app.

This outdated design does provide easy access to tabbed browsing, but it wastes a lot of dashboard on an empty space.

The lack of modern updates produces a quite simple browsing experience that can only serve basic purposes with content that can be successfully loaded and rendered.

FAQ

What is Internet Explorer for macOS?
It is a legacy web browser app for old versions of macOS that relies on the now-abandoned rendering and compatibility engine from Microsoft.

Is it safe?
No. This is an old app that did not receive any security or functionality upgrades for more than a decade.

Alternatives

Edge for Mac – The latest browser app from Microsoft Corporation, optimized for all the modern web content and powered by the latest AI assistant services.

Safari – The official browser that comes bundled with every Mac computer.

Chrome for Mac – The world’s most popular browser app, developed by Google Corporation.

Firefox for Mac – A fast and reliable web browser, offering users a secure and customizable browsing experience on the macOS platform.

Pricing

100% free for use.

System Requirements

This app is optimized only for legacy Intel-based Mac computers running macOS X 10.6 and earlier.

PROS

• Previously the most used web browser app in the world.
• Streamlined user interface with tabbed navigation.
• Lightweight.

CONS

• Old and not officially supported for more than a decade.
• Not available for modern Mac hardware.
• Poor security.
• Poor compatibility with modern web content.
• Lack of extensions and modern customization options.
• Not recommended for use.

Conclusion

Internet Explorer for Mac is a discontinued browser app that is no longer supported by Microsoft. While it had a strong legacy and support from both web developers and the public more than a decade ago, today this legacy app can only run on very old macOS and should be considered as an experimental and test app.

Users are strongly encouraged to browse the web using its modern successor Microsoft Edge, which features a fast rendering engine, perfect web content compatibility, regular security updates, and even has built-in support for ChatGPT – the world’s leading generative AI text processing service.

Also Available: Download Internet Explorer for Windows