Today, Internet Explorer 11 is recognized as one of the fastest and most stable surfing tools on the World Wide Web, along with Edge or third-party browsers like Chrome, Opera, or Mozilla. But this version is present as built-in only in Windows 10, and after all many users of systems of a rank lower would also like to have such a utility in their arsenal.
Let's see how to upgrade Internet Explorer to version 11 if an outdated version is installed on the system. There are several simple ways to do this. Immediately I want to draw the attention of all users that IE 11 can not always be installed in obsolete operating systems, which are no longer supported.
Can I upgrade Internet Explorer to version 11 on systems below the tenth?
The question really needs special clarification. The fact is that even when the automatic update of the operating system itself is turned on, updates for the browser in the sense of upgrading the version, and not patching holes in the security system, may not always be installed.
Why is that? Yes, only because for each modification of the OS itself, there are restrictions on the use of a particular version of the browser with appropriate support. Even when accessing the official Microsoft resource directly on the site, upgrade options will be offered in the form of Internet Explorer for XP - version 8, for Vista - version 9, for 7 and above - version 11.
And this means that the 11th modification of the browser cannot be installed in Ekspirka or in Vista. At least you can try (some advise using the installer for Windows 7), but, as practice shows, the result will be zero.
You can find out the current version of the browser when it is launched using the keyboard shortcut for accessing the Alt + X settings with the selection of the "About" section. In versions of Windows above the seventh, you may not need an update if it was done automatically.
Windows Internet Explorer update in automatic mode
Thus, we can conclude that IE 11 is installed only on systems starting from the seventh and higher. Allegedly, the browser updates itself, although unexpected crashes can sometimes occur.
In the question of how to upgrade Internet Explorer to version 11 in the above systems, there should not be any special problems. In principle, with the automatic update turned on in the Update Center, the installation of the latest version of IE will still happen sooner or later. If suddenly for some reason this did not happen, you can use the manual installation of both system updates and the browser itself.
Manual installation of the latest version
To get started, you can simply go to the Microsoft website, select the installer there in accordance with the modification and capacity of the OS, then download it to your computer and start the installation in manual mode.
With an active Internet connection, the latest version of the browser will be installed during the installation process. But you can do even easier using the so-called online installer. You don’t even have to choose. After starting, the web installer file will determine the type and bit depth of the OS automatically, after which it will also independently install all the necessary components.
Possible browser update errors
If for some reason updating “Internet Explorer” to version 11 fails in supported systems, the reason should be sought only in that the OS itself has not been installed with the latest updates and service packs.
If service packs are not installed even if you use manual search, you will need to download them directly on the Microsoft website, then install and set up a new search for updates for installed packages.
In this case, it is necessary to use the "Update Center", which is called from the "Control Panel", where the button for manually searching for updates is clicked. Everything that will be found needs to be integrated into the system (without exceptions). After that, the process of installing a new browser can be repeated. Apparently, the errors will disappear after that.
Instead of an afterword
As you can see, Internet Explorer 11 cannot be installed into legacy Windows operating systems. And this is due not so much to the browser itself, but to the fact that support is limited only to versions 8 and 9. Therefore, no matter how you like it, you won’t jump above your head. But in Windows 7 and above, the 11th version of IE is installed without problems.
The best option, of course, is to use an online installer so as not to download the full distribution package and save it to your hard drive. But in this case, you will need an uninterrupted Internet connection.
By the way, in connection with the recent statements by the Microsoft management to extend support for Windows XP, many experts assume (and not without reason) that it will still be possible to integrate Internet Explorer 11 into the environment of this particular system over time. And there are all prerequisites for this. But, as they say, time will tell, but for now we have to be content only with what we have at the moment. In any case, do not give up.