Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

Chapter 15. Internet Explorer 11

Internet Explorer is the most famous Web browser on earth, thanks in part to several years of Justice Department scrutiny. It also has more syllables than any other Web browser, which is probably why most people just call it IE.

As you know, there are two Internet Explorers in Windows 8—the TileWorld version and the desktop version. Actually, although they have separate faces, they share some internal organs.

You can read about the TileWorld version on Help + Tips. This chapter covers the desktop version, which is far more complete. (For one thing, it can run plug-ins, and it can show you Flash sites.)

All these goodies and more are described in this chapter. Chapter 14, meanwhile, covers Internet Explorer’s security and privacy features.

Note

OK, you may have to read this slowly:

When you first get Windows 8, the TileWorld version of Internet Explorer is your default browser. It’s the one that opens when you click a link in some email, or do a search for Internet Explorer, or click its tile on the Start screen (which bears a big “e” logo, with the name Internet Explorer beneath).

But if you install a different program, like Chrome or Firefox, as your default browser, then the Start screen tile changes. The “e” logo is small, and the name Internet Explorer appears above it. This is the desktop version of Internet Explorer, and it’s the one that opens when you click the tile or do a search for “Internet Explorer.”