How to Use Internet Explorer Mode in Microsoft Edge

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Logo of Microsoft Edge

Though modern web browsers are used by the majority of internet users, there is still a good percentage of users using legacy software. Web developers often need to test their web apps against these old web browsers to make sure they work well for these users too. Emulators or instances on virtual machines are heavy and consume a lot of system resources when it comes to running old testing environments. Fortunately, Microsoft Edge has an Internet Explorer mode to easily test websites. It's easy to use and can be activated in a few simple steps. I use it to test some of my clients' websites using legacy features.

Logo of Microsoft Edge

Make sure you're using the WebKit-powered Edge and not the older version. Turning on and off this mode is easy, and once you get a hang of it, you'll be tempted to test every website in IE mode.

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So, let's get started and learn how we can test our websites in Internet Explorer mode right within the Microsoft Edge web browser. Do tell us your experience and how much you liked this feature after usage.

To get started, open Microsoft Edge and go to the Settings → Default browser → Internet Explorer compatibility section.

Internet Explorer compatibility options in Microsoft Edge

Here, for the first option (as shown above), choose Incompatible sites only, and for the second setting, choose the Allow option.

Reload page in IE mode option in Edge context menu

Once the two options mentioned above have been configured, you'll get a new entry in the context menu that appears by right-clicking on the tabs. This option is all about reloading the already opened web page in IE mode.

Simply click on the option and the web page will reload in Internet Explorer mode. Thereafter, you can inspect how its appearance has changed and which functions and features are not working—anymore.

Add website for IE mode in Edge

Once the IE mode is on for a given page, you'll see the Internet Explorer icon in the address bar. What if you want to open this website again and again in IE mode in multiple browsing sessions?

For that, Enable the option (as shown above) to make sure the site is opened in IE mode only. This activation is valid for 30 days, for the site. After that, it'll again open in Edge mode, by default.

Add websites to open in IE mode in Microsoft Edge

Developers often need to reload the websites they're developing in IE mode for testing. You can manually add the site through the option shown above. It'll be active for 30 days in IE mode.

This way, you never have to right-click the select the option in the context menu again and again. Its entry will be automatically removed after 30 days.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try out the IE mode in Microsoft Edge—right now.