HomeWinBuzzer TipsHow to Uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10 (or Enable It Again)

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10 (or Enable It Again)

We show you how to uninstall Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10, as well as how to re-enable if you have an application that relies on it.

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It's 2020, so you'd hope that Internet Explorer would be pretty much dead in the water. Unfortunately, though, it still accounts for 5.5% of the desktop/laptop browser market share – more than 's Safari and Opera combined. Much of that is likely because it's still available as an app in , so today we're going to show you how to uninstall Internet Explorer completely.

Can I uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10?

Though Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10 is much better than the older versions, it's still outdated, struggles to properly display modern webpages, and clutters the Start Menu. Thankfully, you can still uninstall Internet Explorer quite easily in just a few minutes.

However, before you go ahead with the removal, it's worth making sure you don't use any legacy webpages or software that rely on IE. Even though many apps soon dropping support for the browser, many businesses still have legacy software that rely on it. You also can´t just rely on Internet Explorer Mode in Microsoft Edge instead, as this feature stops working if you decide to uninstall Internet Explorer.

If you want to option to easily reverse your decision, you can use the Windows Feature interface to uninstall it instead, which we'll show below:

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer via Programs and Features

  1. Open Settings


    Press “Windows”, then the cog above the power button to open Settings.

    Windows 10 - Open Settings

  2. Enter app settings


    In the Settings interface, click “Apps”.

    Windows 10 - Settings

  3. Open Programs and Features


    In the sidebar, click “Apps & Features”, then “Programs and Features”.

    Windows 10 - Settings - Apps & Features

  4. Click “Turn Windows features on or off”


    Windows 10 - Settings - Program and Features

  5. Untick “Internet Explorer 11”


    Scroll down the list of features until you find “Internet Explorer 11”, then press the checkbox to tick/untick it. Unticking it will uninstall the app until you enable it again. Press “OK”.

    Windows 10 - Turn Windows Features on or off

  6. Confirm your choice


    Windows 10 will warn you that uninstalling the app could have an affect on other software on your PC. If you don't have software that relies on IE, press “Yes”.

    Windows 10 - Turn Windows Features on or off - Uninstall Internet Explorer - OK

  7. Uninstall Internet Explorer


    Press “OK” to uninstall Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10. You can reverse this process if you want to reinstall Internet Explorer.

    Windows 10 - Turn Windows Features on or off - Uninstall Internet Explorer - OK

  8. Restart your PC so Windows 10 can fully remove Internet Explorer


    Windows 10 - Turn Windows Features on or off - Uninstall Internet Explorer - Restart now

How to Remove Internet Explorer with PowerShell

Alternatively, you can uninstall Internet Explorer and check if its installed via the PowerShell command-line, which is usually a bit faster.

  1. Open PowerShell as admin


    Press “Windows +X”, then click “Windows PowerShell (Admin)”.

    Windows 10 - Open Powershell as admin

  2. Check if Internet Explorer is installed and its package name


    In PowerShell, enter:

    Get-windowsoptionalfeature -online -featurename *explorer*

    Check the “State” row to see if it's enabled or not.

    Windows 10 - Powershell admin - Check if Internet Explorer enabled or disabled

  3. Perform an Internet Explorer uninstall


    To uninstall Internet Explorer, you can then enter:

    Disable-windowsoptionalfeature -online -featureName Internet-Explorer-Optional-amd64

    If you'd like to reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10, you can instead enter:

    Enable-windowsoptionalfeature -online -featureName Internet-Explorer-Optional-amd64

    Press “Y” and then “Enter” to restart your PC.

    Windows 10 - Powershell admin - Disable Internet Explorer

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer with Command Prompt

If you prefer the trusty Command Prompt over PowerShell, you can also remove Internet Explorer from Windows via it with DISM.

  1. Open Command Prompt


    Press “Start” and search for “cmd”, then click “Run as administrator”.

    Windows 10 - Open CMD with admin rights

  2. Check if Internet Explorer 11 is installed


    In Command Prompt, type the following and press “Enter”:

    DISM /online /get-features /format:table

    Windows 10 - CMD admin - See status of optional features

  3. Note the package name and status


    Windows 10 - CMD admin - See if Internet Explorer enabled or disabled

  4. Disable Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10


    If the package status is enabled, you can disable it by entering:

    DISM /online /disable-feature /featurename:Internet-Explorer-optional-amd64

    If it's disabled, you can enable it with:

    DISM /online /enable-feature /featurename:Internet-Explorer-optional-amd64

    Restart your PC.

    Windows 10 - CMD admin - Disable Internet Explorer

If you found this tutorial helpful, check out our guide on how to disable Settings and Control Panel or uninstall Microsoft Edge.

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.
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