It’s late 2025 – you’d probably assume everyone browsing the web is on Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox. And for the vast majority of sites, that is true. But recently we spotted a visitor using Internet Explorer 11 – the last major version of “IE” – and it reminded us that even discontinued browsers aren’t completely gone.
Earlier this year, we shared how someone landed on our website using IE9 – a browser from 2011! That visit was surprising. Today’s appearance by IE11 tells a similar story: legacy systems still lurk out there, and sometimes they show up in your analytics.
Why Are People Still Using Internet Explorer (Especially IE11)?
Microsoft officially ended support for Internet Explorer in 2022, and modern Windows versions no longer include it as a standalone browser.
Yet:
- Some corporate or enterprise systems never got updated.
- Some government or internal applications only work on older browsers.
- Some legacy kiosks or locked-down machines keep IE as their browser.
- Some analytics hits might even be bots or scanners emulating IE.
- And some people just have kept IE on their computer.
In other words: even discontinued software doesn’t instantly disappear from the real world.
So What Do the Numbers Look Like Today?
In modern web traffic data:
- Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge dominate usage.
- Internet Explorer (all versions combined) usually represents well under 0.5% of visits – tiny but real.
Your own analytics platform (Google Analytics, AWStats, etc.) can break this down for your site – so you can see exactly who’s showing up and with what browsers.
Should You Bother “Supporting IE”?
Here’s the practical answer:
💡 No – you should not spend development time actively optimizing for Internet Explorer.
IE11 and older versions:
- Do not support modern web standards
- Lack many CSS and JavaScript features
- Pose security risks if relied on in internal systems
- Add code complexity and testing overhead
Most designers and developers have stopped testing for IE entirely because it simply doesn’t represent meaningful traffic anymore.
Instead, it’s better to design for feature support – and let users with outdated browsers enjoy what they can without breaking the site.
How UltimateWB Handles Visits from Old Browsers
With UltimateWB:
- Core pages still load and display content
- Navigation works even if some advanced features don’t
- Your site won’t completely break just because someone is on an old browser
- You don’t need polyfills or outdated hacks – UltimateWB’s clean code and ongoing updates handle compatibility gracefully
That’s a strength of a builder that focuses on standards-based HTML/CSS/JavaScript and progressive enhancement, rather than browser-specific hacks. ultimatewb.com
Related: How Clean HTML Can Boost Your SEO (Even Without Coding)
What You Should Focus On Instead
Rather than trying to make every feature work in Internet Explorer, focus on:
- Modern browsers that the vast majority of people use
- Responsive design for mobile and tablet screens
- Feature detection and graceful degradation
- Fast load times and accessibility
These improve the experience for almost all the real users, not tiny outliers.
Final Thoughts
Seeing an old browser like IE11 in your analytics might feel like a blast from the past – and it is! But it’s also a reminder that the real internet is messy: some users are on old systems, internal networks can lag, and analytics can surface unexpected data.
The key for you as a site owner is simple:
Know what your visitors are using – but optimize for the present, not too far in the past.
UltimateWB helps you do exactly that: a fast, standards-based website that works for nearly everyone – and doesn’t fall apart for the rare visitor still stuck in browser history.
Ready to design your website that’s optimized for real-world visitors – no matter what browser they’re using? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.