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Applies to these editions of Windows 7:

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What happens if I turn off Internet Explorer 8?

Some programs and features that are included with Windows 7 are turned on by default, including Internet Explorer 8. You can turn off Internet Explorer 8 if you don't use it.

If you do this, the program won't appear to be installed on your computer and you won’t be able to open it. However, the essential Internet support pieces will remain on your computer, so programs that use its HTML rendering engine to display information should continue to work.

If you turn off Internet Explorer 8:

  • You’ll see an error or nothing will happen when you try to open a website or view web content, unless you install another web browser.

  • Some programs that depend on Internet Explorer 8 might not function properly.

Even if you don’t turn off Internet Explorer 8, Windows allows you to choose which web browser to use to access the Internet. For more information, see Change your default web browser.

For more information about Internet Explorer 8, see Internet Explorer at a glance.

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