Microsoft's Internet Explorer is like the cockroach of the software world, seemingly able to survive no matter what. But all things must come to an end, and 2022 is the year Explorer is finally relegated to the software bone orchard.

Redmond has announced that it will "retire and end support" for its Internet Explorer 11 desktop application on June 15, 2022. However, thanks to the legacy IE mode built into the Microsoft Edge browser, its spirit remains and legacy sites that require the archaic Explorer can still be accessed.

The eventual death of IE should come as no surprise to followers of Microsoft software and Windows work; in 2019, Microsoft began blocking some sites from opening in IE, directing people to the Edge browser instead.

In fact, the average Windows 10 user has to look for Internet Explorer, and this browser survives more for accessing legacy business portals. And IE will remain in some deployments of Microsoft software. Microsoft has stated that "this discontinuation does not affect Internet Explorer 11 desktop applications on commercial Windows 10 LTSCs and servers."

For consumers, however, IE will essentially ride off into the sunset. So if you are persistently using Explorer for reasons we don't understand, you need to switch to Edge. Alternatively, we could consider one of the lesser-known but still supported web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple's Safari.

If you want to stick with Microsoft, you can import IE data into your Edge browser by going to the profile section of Edge's settings menu and selecting "Import Browser Data." From there, simply select "Microsoft Internet Explorer" and click "Import."

Whether Edge is right for you or not will depend on personal preference. If Edge is not to your liking, Chrome offers a variety of features.