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Prepare your SharePoint environment for the retirement of Internet Explorer 11 for Microsoft 365 apps and services

  • Article

As Microsoft 365 evolves, we continually evaluate our apps and services to make sure that we deliver the most value to customers. Last August, we announced that in one year we would say farewell to Internet Explorer 11.

Focusing on Microsoft Edge browser helps us accelerate innovation in Microsoft 365 experiences from the browser and in modern apps, such as Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Lists, and more.

Beginning on August 17, 2021, Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support Internet Explorer 11. While we know this change will be difficult for some customers, we believe that you'll get the most out of Microsoft 365 when using Microsoft Edge. To avoid disruptions, we’ve identified considerations and practices for admins as you transition off SharePoint features that rely on Internet Explorer 11.

Note

  • Internet Explorer 11 and Edge IE compatibility mode are not supported in Teams sites, OneDrive personal sites, or any other types of SharePoint content sites. We recommend exploring Microsoft Edge as the replacement for Internet Explorer 11.
  • Beginning mid-January, 2023, access to SharePoint Online and OneDrive from Internet Explorer 11 and Edge IE compatibility mode will be hard blocked for all users.

Deploy a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge

Start by ensuring Microsoft Edge is deployed and configured in your environment. The article guides customers through key questions and steps in the transition to Microsoft Edge.

Customers with Microsoft Unified Support can reach out to that support service for help with transitioning to Microsoft Edge.

For customers who want guidance on how to plan, deploy, or adopt Microsoft Edge, there’s FastTrack. FastTrack is available at no extra charge to customers with 150 or more paid seats of Windows 10 Enterprise. To get started, submit a Request for Assistance through the FastTrack site.

And for customers who prefer to get started on their own, we have self-guided deployment and configuration materials on our Docs site, complete with a series from Microsoft Mechanics.

Use sync instead of Open with Explorer or View in File Explorer

The Open with Explorer command in the classic SharePoint experience relies on Internet Explorer 11 and isn't available in newer browsers. The View in File Explorer command in the modern experience when using Edge relies on the same underlying technology as Open with Explorer, and is therefore no longer recommended either. Instead, we recommend using the OneDrive sync app to sync SharePoint files with your computer, rather than using Open with Explorer or View in File Explorer.

Sync with OneDrive Files On-Demand helps you work with all your cloud files in File Explorer without having to download all the files and use storage space on your device. For easy access to files that people share with you or that you find in SharePoint or Teams, you can add shortcuts to shared folders. The shortcuts then appear in your OneDrive so you can find and work with the files.

To get started deploying and configuring OneDrive in your environment and migrating files, start at the OneDrive resources page. Keep in mind, though, that some environments aren’t compatible with OneDrive sync.

Environments in which OneDrive sync doesn’t work or isn’t supported

  • On premises SharePoint Server 2016 environments or earlier versions of SharePoint Server.
  • SharePoint Server 2019 with certain types of authentication, such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). For more information, read Plan for user authentication methods in SharePoint Server.
  • Non-persistent virtual desktop environments in which the sync client isn’t installed on each computer. For more information, read use the sync app on virtual desktops.
  • Versions of Windows that don't support Files On-Demand. Files On-Demand requires Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709 or later) or Windows Server 2019. However, selective sync can be used as a workaround.

Use Power Apps to automate business processes

To automate your business processes, we recommend that you create new custom forms solutions in Power Apps and transform your InfoPath forms to Power Apps. Power Apps allows you to build and deploy business solutions without writing code. Learn how to Administer Power Platform.

Use the list creation experience, rather than the old Import Spreadsheet app

Follow the steps to create a list based on a spreadsheet. The older Import Spreadsheet app under Add an app on the Site contents page relies on Internet Explorer 11 and will no longer be supported in Microsoft 365 after August 17, 2021.