After January 12th, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical support and security updates.
People using Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10 will no longer receive security or technical updates after Tuesday, January 12th. This means that the older versions of Internet Explorer can be exploited by hackers which puts your computer and your data at risk. One last patch will be released January 12th with a reminder to upgrade your browser. If you do not upgrade to Internet Explorer 11, you will begin to receive “End of Life” upgrade notifications urging you to make the switch to Internet Explorer 11. Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 users should upgrade to Internet Explorer 11. Windows 7 users with Internet Explorer 9 or 10 should upgrade to Internet Explorer 11.
Choose a different browser
If you want to stay with a Microsoft product, then you also have the option to switch to Microsoft Edge, their latest, most modern browser, but you must also be using Windows 10.
This is a good opportunity to try another browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Opera. We recommend Google Chrome as an alternative to Internet Explorer because of its security features and automatic updates.
There are plenty of alternative browsers to switch to as well; those that specialize in gaming, privacy, media consumption, and other things. Check out this listing of 10 obscure, highly specialized browsers from PCWorld.
How to check which version of Internet Explorer you are using
- 1. Open the browser
- 2. Click the gear or Question icon on the top right
- 3. Select ‘About Internet Explorer’ and a pop-up will appear with the version of your browser
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