IE 11 End of Support & Guidance to Migration to Microsoft Edge for Red Box Quantify

IE 11 End of Support & Guidance to Migration to Microsoft Edge for Red Box Quantify

Note: For instructions on how to configure Microsoft Edge for IE Compatibility Mode, see this document link.

Product Bulletin
In August 2020, Microsoft gave 12 months’ notice that Internet Explorer (IE) 11 would no longer be supported by Microsoft 365 apps and services but offered reassurance that IE 11 was not going away and that IE 11 apps and investments would continue to work.

In May 2021 Microsoft announced that IE will be replaced with Microsoft Edge and the IE 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022 for certain versions of Windows 10 (more information on affected platforms can be found here).

What does this mean?

Microsoft is recommending that organisations move to Microsoft Edge however also understand that:

“Customers have made business-critical investments in IE 11 apps and we respect that those apps are still functioning.” Microsoft blog

As such Microsoft Edge is being made available with ‘Internet Explorer mode’.

What is Internet Explorer mode for Microsoft Edge?

This mode offers built-in legacy browser support to enable organisations to standardise on one browser and seamlessly experience the best of the modern web in one tab while accessing business- critical IE 11 apps in another tab.

Using Quantify in Microsoft Edge with ‘Internet Explorer Mode’

Over recent months, we have conducted full in-house testing using Quantify in the Microsoft Edge browser with Internet Explorer mode enabled and found no browser-related restrictions or limitations.

We did however determine that there were some key steps to take in the set up and configuration of the Edge browser in Internet Explorer mode, which we’ve outlined in this Microsoft Edge set up guide.

How long will Microsoft Edge with ‘Internet Explorer Mode’ be supported?

Internet Explorer mode in Edge will follow the lifecycle of Windows Client, Server, and IoT releases at least through 2029. Additionally, Microsoft will provide notice one year prior to retiring IE mode.

Please note however that if support for a version of Windows ends before 2029, support for IE mode on that version of Windows ends as well. To continue using IE mode, a migration to a supported version of Windows may be required. For more information, see the Microsoft Lifecycle page.

When will Quantify offer native compatibility with Edge?

Red Box uses a number of components in its product such as XBAP and XAML Browser Application that are not currently supported natively by Edge, but are supported in Internet Explorer mode. As part of our product roadmap planning, we will be assessing how to go about providing native Edge support and the timelines associated with this. Given that Internet Explorer Mode has been fully tested by our teams and also taking into account our roadmap commitments for 2022, we don’t expect to begin this assessment or to make any plans for native Edge support until into 2023.

Do I need IE 11 installed on Windows 10 to use Internet Explorer Mode?

Microsoft has determined that Windows 10 requires IE to be explicitly installed for IE backwards compatibility mode to work in Microsoft Edge. Recognising the strong and continuing demand for IE compatibility Microsoft has removed this need for Windows 11 and by default installs the required IE support capability for Edge browsers.

Other useful links

Microsoft have also made the following resources available to organisations moving to Edge and getting started with Internet Explorer mode.