How to delete Internet Explorer

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer may utilize less wattage than Google Chrome and be one of our 8.1 reasons to upgrade to Windows 8.1, but that doesn’t exactly make it a great browser for everyday use. Although Microsoft’s browser has come a long way from the heavy-handed integration that spurred the antitrust lawsuit case United States v. Microsoft Corp. in 1998, it’s still automatically woven into new Windows offerings whether users want it or not. Fortunately, safely uninstalling IE in the latest version of Windows is easier than ever before. Doing so will remove the browser’s executable file, along with any icons, and unregister its HTTP shell protocol handler in addition to several other actions not worth delving into.

Here’s our guide on how to delete Internet Explorer from Windows.. err, or at least make it appear like it has been. 

Uninstall Internet Explorer (Windows 7)

Step 1: Navigate to Programs and Features — Click the Windows Start button, followed by Control Panel option located on the right side of the resulting drop-down menu. Afterward, click the green Programs option in the bottom-left corner and then the Programs and Features option located at the top of the window.

Step 2: Uninstall Internet Explorer — Click the View installed updates option located in the left pane and scroll through the list of Microsoft updates until you find Windows Internet Explorer. Afterward, right-click the application, select Uninstall from the resulting list of options and click the Yes button to confirm. Enter your administrator password if prompted, and when finished, click the Restart Now button to apply the changes when finished.

Uninstall Internet Explorer (Windows 8)

Step 1: Navigate to settings panel — Move your cursor to the upper-right corner of the screen, or swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and click or tap Search on the right side of the screen. Enter “Windows features” in the search box, click or tap the Settings option located on the right side of the screen, and select Turn Windows Features on or off. If prompted, enter your administrator password.

Step 2: Hide Internet Explorer — Uncheck the box directly to the left of Internet Explorer, click the OK button in the bottom-right corner and click the Yes button to confirm. Click the Restart Now button to apply the changes when finished.