After January 12, 2016, only the most recent version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical support and security updates.
Beginning January 12, 2016, the following operating systems and browser version combinations will be supported:
Windows Platform
Internet Explorer Version
Windows Vista SP2
Internet Explorer 9
Windows Server 2008 SP2
Internet Explorer 9
Windows 7 SP1
Internet Explorer 11
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Internet Explorer 11
Windows 8.1
Internet Explorer 11
Windows Server 2012
Internet Explorer 10
Windows Server 2012 R2
Internet Explorer 11
OFFICE 365 & INTERNET EXPLORER SUPPORT
Office 365 Supports N and N-1 versions of browsers in Mainstream Support
For the best experience using Office 365, we recommend that you always use the latest browsers, Office clients, and apps. We also recommend that you install software updates when they become available.
Office 365 is designed to work with the following software:
The current or immediately previous version of Internet Explorer or Firefox, or the latest version of Chrome or Safari.
Any version of Microsoft Office in mainstream support.
Although Microsoft does not recommend that you connect to Office 365 by using older browsers and clients, we provide limited support so long as that software is supported by its manufacturer.
USING ENTERPRISE MODE FOR INTERNET EXPLORER 11 (EMIE)
To prepare enterprises for the January 12, 2016 date for IE 11 and Windows 10, Microsoft implemented Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11 (EMIE) to assist with backward compatibility and to provide a seamless end-user experience. EMIE helps Enterprises transition to IE 11 and stay up-to-date regardless of which versions of Internet Explorer are running in your environment – achieving ever green status with Microsoft Browsers. IE 11 is the last version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Windows 10 builds upon IE 11 and EMIE in Windows 7 SP1 and 8.1 – and overtime - transitions everyone to “Edge” – Microsoft’s next generation Modern Browser. The expected browsing experience from the end user perspective is seamless – as swapping of compatibility modes is automatic and allows users to browse the web normally. The original EMIE functionality provided in April, 2014 introduced compatibility for enterprises on Internet Explorer 8. In November, EMIE was expanded to include additional document mode capabilities for IE 10, 9, 8, 7, and 5. EMIE will not fix every site, but should provide backward compatibility for most.
Below is an example of a typical process (with links to documentation) followed by Enterprise IT to identify “broken sites”, determine which can be “viewed” with EMIE, those sites that must be remediate, and achieve seamless integrated browsing for their end-users with IE 11:
As EMIE’s use (or not) is determined by IT, EMIE is turned off by default and may be turned on and centrally controlled by IT through Group Policies and Registry Settings. (See, How to Turn on Enterprise Mode for IE 11 (EMIE))
Develop testing strategy based on Internet Explorer versions within Enterprise.
If your enterprise primarily uses Internet Explorer 8, start testing using Enterprise Mode.
If your enterprise primarily uses Internet Explorer 9 or Internet Explorer 10, start testing using the various document modes
If your enterprise uses Internet Explorer 8 and other versions, use both Enterprise Mode and document modes to effectively move to Internet Explorer 11.
Identify Sites that can be fixed with EMIE.
Select representative users (i.e., Business Units, Task Workers, IT Pros, etc.)
Turn on local user control – use the Let users turn on and use Enterprise Mode from the Tools menu setting, located in the Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer category path. After you turn this setting on, Test users can turn on Enterprise Mode locally, from the Internet Explorer Tools menu.
Gather “local override “data from users by logging the information (including URL and mode selected by the end-user) to a centralized list. For more information on logging/data collection, see Set up Enterprise Mode logging and data collection
For sites that cannot be viewed via EMIE, determine alternative remediation.
For sites that can be viewed via EMIE, use tool-based management for site lists (list of sites to be viewed via EMIE).
These tools provides the ability to capture individual website domains and domain paths and specify if the site renders using a modified browser configuration that’s designed to avoid the common compatibility problems.
Corporate IT controls which sites and paths are rendered in Enterprise Mode via a centrally-managed XML list or group of lists. For example, www.contoso.com/travel can be set to use Enterprise Mode, while www.contoso.com/erp may be set to use modern “Edge” standards mode.
For overview, see Fix web compatibility issues using document modes and the Enterprise Mode site list
For more information on managing EMIE Site Lists, see Enterprise Mode Site List Manager
For more information on schema guidance (example, how to accomplish similar functionality to “wildcards” within the site list without using wildcards), see Schema Guidance for Enterprise Mode for IE (EMIE)
For more information on creating and using a site list, see Add multiple sites to the Enterprise Mode site list using a file and Enterprise Mode Site List Manager
For more information on IE 11 compatibility and document modes, see Document modes and compatibility with Internet Explorer 11
