'End of an era': Microsoft retires OG Internet Explorer after nearly three decades

Some 27 years after the company first debuted the browser, tech giant Microsoft retired Internet Explorer on Wednesday.

Those who try to open the familiar blue and white “e,” application, are now directed to the company's more recent browser Microsoft Edge.

Last May, the company first announced the decision to retire the web browser for certain versions of Windows 10 on June 15, 2022.

Microsoft introduced Edge in 2015 and it has gradually phased out Internet Explorer.

“Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications," the company released in a statement.

What's everyone talking about?Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

Internet Explorer had been the go-to browser on Windows PCs for years before rivals such as Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome snagged users away.

"Users will still see the Internet Explorer icon on their devices (such as on the taskbar or in the Start menu) but if they click to open Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge will open instead with easy access to IE mode," Microsoft Edge Enterprise General Manager Sean Lyndersay released in a statement to USA TODAY.

Eventually, Lyndersay said, IE will be disabled permanently as part of a future Windows Update, at which point the IE icons on their devices will be removed.

As part of the redirection process, he said, users will have their data like favorites, passwords, and settings imported from IE in an effort to "make the transition to Microsoft Edge both familiar and simple."

If a user wants to delete or manage their data after that, they can do so in Microsoft Edge from the Settings menu.

Bye-bye IE: Microsoft to say goodbye to IE, retiring its Internet Explorer web browser on Windows 10

The camera is how old?: When was the camera invented? Frenchman credited with invention of camera in 1816.

The browser retirement drew emotions across various social media platforms this week.

"End of an era," @CSureshVarma posted on Twitter Tuesday. "Our Dear old Friend from the Good old Days of Childhood... In the Loving Memory of Our First Window to the Internet... 1995 to 2022."

"It's time to tell your nan to stop using it now, like seriously," @Simulator_Radio posted.

In 2020, Microsoft announced it was dropping support for Internet Explorer on its Microsoft 365 apps and services. The change took effect Aug. 17, 2021.

As of December 2021, Microsoft's Edge browser had a United States market share of 5.92 percent, statista.com reported in January.

Contributing: Brett Molina. Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Microsoft to shut down Internet Explorer on Wednesday