Internet Explorer 11 Released for Windows 7

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), which became available for Windows 7 in Nov. 2013, improves page loading, display performance, better rendering of older sites, and compatibility with common Web standards. It also includes new development and debugging tools. However, the changes in IE11 will require organizations to test existing Web sites and applications thoroughly, especially those built to support or recognize specific IE versions. Importantly, IE11 for Windows 7 does not include all the functionality of IE11 for Windows 8.1, which adds complexity for organizations developing applications for IE11 or supporting a mixed deployment of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices.

New IE11 Features for Windows 7

Many of the key enhancements that are in IE11 for Windows 8.1 are also available in IE11 for Windows 7 including the following:

Standards compatibility changes. IE11 modifies support for some older Web methods and tags to conform to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards and render sites in a method similar to other browsers. When IE11 for Windows 8.1 was initially released, some of these compatibility changes caused Web site loading and browser recognition errors. Although most compatibility issues have been resolved, organizations will need to test Web sites and applications thoroughly for compatibility, especially internally developed sites.