PC World - USA (2020-12)

IMAGE: SUWAREE TANGBOVORNPICHET/GETTY IMAGES DECEMBER 2020 PCWorld 23

Why Microsoft has blocked

hundreds of sites in Internet Explorer

Microsoft is ‘encouraging’ users to abandon Microsoft’s legacy browser and adopt Edge

instead. BY MARK HACHMAN

I

f Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser

fails to open your favorite sites soon,

there’s a reason: Microsoft will block

those sites from opening in Internet

Explorer, and will require them to be opened

in Edge instead.

Although Microsoft has long tried to get

rid of Internet Explorer for security’s sake, the

ancient browser clings to 5 percent of the

worldwide browser market (go.pcworld.

com/5mks). Preventing sites from opening

within Explorer is a new way for Microsoft to

“encourage” users to abandon Microsoft’s

legacy browser and adopt Edge instead. The

change, however, doesn’t actually mean that

you have to stop using Internet Explorer; you

just have to stop using the Internet Explorer

browser. (We’ll explain.)

Microsoft described the changes in a

support document (go.pcworld.com/dsch),