How to enable and use Internet Explorer in Windows 11 (3 ways)

In June 2022, Microsoft officially ended support for Internet Explorer and ended support for all operating systems except some versions of LTSC and Windows Server. Basically, for the average user, Internet Explorer is dead and there is no easy way to access it on Windows 11. However, Internet Explorer is still required to access websites built on older platforms, mostly from government and financial institutions. So, in this article, we have added three methods to enable and use Internet Explorer on Windows 11. You will be able to run Internet Explorer (IE 11) on Windows 11 just like before. On that note, let's move on to the steps.

Enable and use Internet Explorer in Windows 11 (2023)

In this guide, we have included three ways to use Internet Explorer on Windows 11. The first two methods allow you to access OG Internet Explorer in all its glory, and the last one allows you to load websites in IE mode in Microsoft Edge. Based on your needs, you can navigate to the desired method using the table below.

Note. For security reasons, I would not recommend using Internet Explorer for all your online activities. Use it from time to time only to access old and incompatible websites.

Launch Internet Explorer on Windows 11 with the Control Panel Trick

Thanks to a xenopanther on Twitter, we recently discovered a neat trick to run full Internet Explorer on Windows 11. You don't need to download Internet Explorer 11. Instead, with a few clicks, you can open Internet Explorer on Windows 11 without too much difficulty. However, be aware that this trick does not work on some Windows 11 builds. We independently tested it on the latest Windows 11 Stable and Dev builds and it worked without issue.

If Internet Explorer opens Microsoft Edge on your PC, go to the next method for your specific solution. On that note, let's move on to the steps.

1. First, press the Windows key to open the start menu and search for "Internet Options". Now open it from the search results.

2. Next, go to the "Programs" tab and click "Manage add-ons".

3. In the next window, click "More about toolbars and extensions" in the lower left corner.

4. And that's it. Internet Explorer will immediately open on your Windows 11 PC.

Create a VBS Shortcut to Open Internet Explorer on Windows 11

Of course, you can enable IE mode in the Microsoft Edge browser (as noted below) to load legacy web apps, but if you really want to access Internet Explorer in its native user interface, a simple VBS script will allow you to do so. I tested the script on my PC with the latest stable build of Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (22621.819, Nov 8, 2022) and it worked like clockwork. So, follow the steps below and you are done.

1. First, right-click on your desktop or anywhere else and select New -> Text Document.

2. When the text file opens, copy and paste the code below into the Notepad file.

CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application").Visible=true

3. Then click File -> Save As.

4. Here, click on the drop-down menu next to "Save as type" and change it to "All Files (*.*)".

5. After that, give a name for the shortcut with a .vbs extension at the end. For example, I named the file Internet Explorer.vbs. Now save the file to your preferred location, such as your desktop.

6. As you can see, the VBS file is created on the desktop.

7. Now double click the VBS file and you have it. Internet Explorer 11 will open on your Windows 11 PC and run flawlessly without any issues. From now on, you only need to double click on the VBS file to use IE 11.

Turn on IE mode in Edge to use Internet Explorer on Windows 11

If you enjoy using Microsoft Edge on your Windows 11 PC and occasionally need to load certain web pages in Internet Explorer, you can rely on Edge's IE mode. It is a seamless and secure solution that works very well from the comfort of a modern web browser. With that said, let's move on to the steps.

1. Open Microsoft Edge from the Start menu on your Windows 11 PC.

2. Then click on the 3-dot menu on the top right corner and open "Settings".

3. Here, go to the Default Browser menu in the left pane.

4. Once here, change "Allow Internet Explorer to open websites in Microsoft Edge" to "Always (recommended)".

5. After that, change "Allow sites to reload in Internet Explorer Mode (IE Mode)" to "Allow" in the drop-down menu, and then click "Reload".

6. Now click "Add" next to "Internet Explorer Mode Pages" and enter the full URL of the web page. Be sure to add https:// or http:// to the beginning of the URL.

7. Now open that particular URL in Edge and it will load the webpage in IE mode on Windows 11.

8. If you want to quickly load pages in IE mode, open the 3-dot menu again and right-click "Reload in Internet Explorer Mode". Here, select the "Show in Toolbar" option.

9. This will add a button for IE mode to the Edge toolbar. Now that you are on a web page, click on the IE mode button and it will load the web page in an older environment. Press the button again and IE mode will turn off.

Easily use Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 11

Here's how you can enable Internet Explorer on Windows 11 and use it to access old websites. I usually use IE mode in Microsoft Edge, but I guess there are old school users who are more accustomed to the Internet Explorer user interface. However, this is all from us. If you'd like to enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home, go to our guide at the link here. And to enable and test Smart App Control in Windows 11, we have a dedicated guide for you. Finally, if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments section below.