When Proton Mail 4.0 is released later this year, we will no longer support Internet Explorer (IE), including the newest version, IE 11. Anyone trying to access Proton Mail from IE after the update will be prompted to switch browsers. In this article, we explain the reasons for dropping IE as well as recommendations for alternative browsers.
Why Proton Mail no longer supports Internet Explorer
The decision to drop IE support comes after Microsoft (new window)announced it would no longer support older versions of the browser. Other services are phasing out IE for many of the same reasons we are. Considering the security risks, development costs, compatibility issues, and the small number of people using IE, we are confident this is the right time to drop IE support.
There are many reasons we will no longer support IE, including:
- Almost none of our users run it. About 1% of Proton Mail traffic comes from IE.
- We are not confident that IE 11 is a secure browser. Microsoft is diverting resources to focus on Edge, and fewer developers are testing for it. More bugs or vulnerabilities are inevitable.
- IE is slow and lacks functionality(new window).
- We have an ambitious schedule of upcoming products and features, including calendar and encrypted cloud storage. We would rather use our developer resources to improve Proton rather than fix bugs for an outdated browser.
It is likely that IE will still be around for some time. Microsoft has promised to continue supporting and updating IE 11 as long as it still supports Windows 10. That said, Microsoft’s own cybersecurity experts said(new window), “We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days.”
What to do if you use Internet Explorer
Proton Mail supports all modern browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you prefer to or you are required to continue using a Microsoft browser, you can use Edge(new window).
There are also many privacy-focused browsers, such as Firefox(new window) and Brave(new window).
If you have questions regarding this switch, please get in touch with our support team.
Best Regards,
The Proton Mail Team
You can get a free secure email account(new window) from Proton Mail.
We also provide a free VPN service(new window) to protect your privacy.
Proton Mail and Proton VPN are funded by community contributions. If you would like to support our development efforts, you can upgrade to a paid plan. Thank you for your support.
