How to Test Websites After Internet Explorer Was Discontinued
Test modern browsers with current automation, and use Edge IE mode only for workflows that still depend on Internet Explorer behavior.
After Internet Explorer (IE) was discontinued, test a website in the current browsers and operating systems it officially supports. Use Microsoft Edge WebDriver or Playwright for modern browser automation. If a specific legacy workflow still requires IE behavior, test that workflow in Microsoft Edge Internet Explorer (IE) mode on a supported Windows configuration. IE mode is a compatibility path for legacy sites; passing an IE-mode test does not show that a site works in current browsers.
Microsoft ended support for the IE11 desktop application on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10. The exact scope depends on the Windows edition and servicing channel. Microsoft recommends Edge and supports IE mode for legacy sites on supported operating systems through at least 2029, with at least one year’s notice before IE mode support ends. Check the lifecycle policy for the Windows configuration you use. Microsoft lifecycle announcement · Microsoft lifecycle FAQ
1. Define what you need to test
Start with the site’s published browser support policy, not the fact that IE mode is available. Write down the browsers, operating systems, and user journeys that matter. A normal public site generally needs current-browser coverage; an enterprise app may also have a named legacy workflow that still depends on IE-specific behavior.
| Test target | Use it for | What it can establish | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Edge and other supported browsers | Normal site behavior and compatibility for current users | Rendering and interactions in the browser engines in your support matrix | A run in one browser does not represent every supported target |
| Edge IE mode | A documented workflow that needs IE rendering, ActiveX, or another legacy component | The configured legacy pages and their user journeys in IE mode | Requires supported Windows and configuration; needs IEChooser for page debugging; does not test current-browser compatibility |
Edge IE mode uses an Internet Explorer rendering process for configured sites, including support for IE document modes and legacy components such as ActiveX. Use it when that behavior is a real requirement, not as the only browser test. Microsoft: Use DevTools in Internet Explorer mode
2. Test current browsers with Playwright
When IE mode is not required, move automation to a supported modern-browser workflow. Playwright can launch Edge using its msedge channel. Install the package and its browser dependencies, save the following as test-site.mjs, then run node test-site.mjs. Replace the URL and checks with the site’s own expected behavior.
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const browser = await chromium.launch({ channel: 'msedge', headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage();
try {
const response = await page.goto('https://example.com', {
waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded',
timeout: 30_000,
});
if (!response || !response.ok()) {
throw new Error(`Navigation failed: HTTP ${response?.status() ?? 'no response'}`);
}
await page.getByRole('heading', { name: /example domain/i }).waitFor();
console.log({
title: await page.title(),
url: page.url(),
headingVisible: await page.getByRole('heading', { name: /example domain/i }).isVisible(),
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Install Playwright using the project’s package manager and follow its current installation instructions. If your project already uses Playwright, add the test to the existing suite and configure its browser projects to match your support matrix. A test in Edge alone is not a substitute for running the browsers your site claims to support.
When Edge WebDriver is a better fit
Use Edge WebDriver if your team already has Selenium-based tests or needs WebDriver-compatible tooling. Install the Edge WebDriver version that matches the installed Edge release, start a WebDriver session, navigate to the target page, assert the workflow, and close the session. Consult Microsoft’s current Edge WebDriver setup and API documentation for the matching driver and language binding. Keep the driver and browser versions aligned in CI so an update does not leave the test runner using an incompatible driver.
3. Find and classify IE-specific dependencies
Before adding IE-mode coverage, identify the workflow that requires it. Review support documentation and enterprise site-list entries, then check for ActiveX controls, IE document-mode requirements, or integrations that have no modern-browser implementation. Record the exact pages, user roles, data setup, and external systems involved.
- Remove an IE-only branch when the underlying dependency has been retired.
- Keep a focused IE-mode test when a documented business process still relies on legacy behavior.
- Test modern pages in modern Edge and other supported browsers, including transitions from an IE-mode page to a modern page.
- Give users a supported-browser fallback when they arrive through a retired IE workflow.
Microsoft notes that modern websites may be incompatible with IE and documents redirecting users to Edge. Make the site’s supported browsers explicit so a user can tell whether they need Edge or another supported browser. Microsoft: Redirect users to Microsoft Edge
4. Test a legacy workflow in Edge IE mode
- Use a Windows version and servicing channel that support your organization’s Edge and IE-mode configuration.
- Configure IE mode through the applicable Edge policy and enterprise site list for the specific legacy site. Use Microsoft’s IE mode configuration guidance; the exact steps depend on your managed environment.
- Open the configured site in Edge and verify that it enters IE mode. Test the full workflow, including authentication, downloads, controls, redirects, and transitions to modern pages that are part of the task.
- Repeat the same business journey in the current-browser suite where the site claims modern support. Record IE-mode results separately so they cannot be mistaken for current-browser coverage.
For an IE-mode application that needs to be opened in Edge mode for testing, Microsoft’s FAQ describes a policy for that testing scenario. Follow the instructions for the environment and policy version you use. Microsoft: IE mode FAQ
5. Debug the rendering process that failed
Ordinary Edge DevTools do not inspect an IE-mode tab’s rendering process in the usual way. Use IEChooser to select the IE-mode tab and launch Internet Explorer developer tools. Microsoft also documents that remote-debugging launch arguments can make IE mode unavailable until Edge restarts. Close and relaunch Edge without those arguments if the mode cannot be opened. Microsoft: Debug IE mode with IEChooser
For modern Edge failures, use Edge DevTools or your automation framework’s trace, screenshot, and console output. Capture the browser version, operating system, test data, page URL, and failing step alongside the result; these details help distinguish an application bug from a driver, policy, or environment problem.
6. Replace retired IE automation deliberately
If a test suite relied on the InternetExplorer automation object, plan a migration. Edge does not support automating IE mode through that object. Microsoft identifies Edge WebDriver and Playwright as options for automating Edge when IE mode is not needed. For a remaining IE-specific workflow, confirm that the test approach actually exercises the required behavior in the configured environment; do not assume a replacement is a drop-in equivalent. Microsoft Edge WebDriver · Microsoft IE mode developer documentation
7. Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The test passes in IE mode but fails in current Edge or another supported browser | The IE-mode rendering path differs from the modern browser path | Keep separate results. Debug and fix the modern path if it is in the support matrix; do not count the IE-mode pass as modern coverage. |
| The site opens in regular Edge instead of IE mode | The site is not configured for IE mode or its enterprise policy/site-list configuration has not taken effect | Check the managed Edge policy and site-list entry, then confirm the environment is supported. |
| Edge DevTools cannot inspect the IE-mode page | IE-mode content uses a separate IE rendering process | Use IEChooser to select the tab and open the Internet Explorer developer tools. |
| IE mode is unavailable after launching Edge with remote-debugging arguments | Microsoft documents a conflict with some remote-debugging launch arguments | Restart Edge without those arguments, then reopen the configured site. |
| An old test using the InternetExplorer object no longer runs | Edge does not support automating IE mode through that object | Move modern tests to Edge WebDriver or Playwright; validate a separate approach for any genuine legacy requirement. |
| Playwright reports that the browser executable is missing | The browser dependency was not installed in the runner environment | Follow Playwright’s install instructions for the browser and operating-system dependencies, and run setup in the same CI image as the test. |
| Playwright times out waiting for the page | Slow navigation, a network issue, or a wait condition that never occurs | Check the response and network first. Wait for the specific page condition the test needs; avoid relying on a fixed delay as a substitute for a meaningful assertion. |
8. Performance, reliability, and maintenance
- Keep the suite focused: run the highest-value user journeys across the supported modern browsers, then maintain separate coverage for legacy workflows that truly need IE mode.
- Use explicit conditions: wait for a response, element, or state your user journey requires. Broad network-idle waits and arbitrary sleeps can make tests slow or fragile when pages use long-running connections.
- Stabilize the environment: pin or deliberately update the CI browser image and WebDriver version. Record the browser, OS, policy state, and test data with failures.
- Control test data: use repeatable accounts and fixtures, and avoid running concurrent tests that mutate the same record or session.
- Review the support matrix: remove obsolete IE-only tests when the dependency ends, and update the matrix as the product’s supported browsers change.
Browser automation costs are mainly the compute time and maintenance of the environments you run. IE-mode testing adds Windows, policy, and debugging setup. No single-browser pass establishes broad compatibility; the test matrix should reflect the browsers and operating systems you actually support.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a screenshot of a page for review or a visual record, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. It does not replace interactive browser testing or prove compatibility, but it can return a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF from one API request. The ScreenshotNeo API documentation lists the available options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpimport requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.com"},
timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card.
FAQ
Can I still test a site in Internet Explorer?
For a supported legacy workflow, use Edge IE mode on a supported Windows configuration. The retired IE11 desktop application is not the current general-purpose browser target.
Does IE mode mean my site supports Internet Explorer?
No. It is a compatibility option for configured legacy sites. State the browsers your site supports and test those targets directly.
Will Microsoft support Edge IE mode forever?
Microsoft’s lifecycle guidance says IE mode is supported through at least 2029 on supported operating systems, with at least one year’s notice before retirement. Check current lifecycle guidance for your exact Windows configuration.
Can I automate IE mode with Selenium’s InternetExplorer driver?
Edge does not support automating IE mode through the InternetExplorer automation object. Use modern Edge automation where IE mode is unnecessary and validate any remaining legacy automation against the actual application requirement.
