IE compatibility changes by version
The compatibility cookbook describes compatibility changes in the most recent versions of Internet Explorer. We've grouped this information by function, so that you can more easily find related information. However, there are times when it's useful to know when specific changes were made. Here is a list of cookbook topics that were added for each of the most recent versions of Internet Explorer.
Unless otherwise specifically mentioned, topics apply to later versions of Windows Internet Explorer. Changes introduced in Windows Internet Explorer 9, for example, apply to Internet Explorer 10, IE11, and so on.
Note You might be able to use legacy document modes to emulate the behavior of earlier versions. If you do this, keep in mind it's a temporary solution at best. Starting with Internet Explorer 11, document modes are considered deprecated, and are not supported in Microsoft Edge. For best results, update your sites and apps to use features and techniques supported by industry standards and multiple browsers.
Changes introduced for Microsoft Edge
The following topics were added for Microsoft Edge:
- Creating and firing synthetic events
- Content Security Policy breaks inline script
- Encrypted Media Extensions updates
- Fullscreen API changes
- HTTP/2 replaces SPDY/3
- New and legacy drag and drop
- New restrictions on document modes
- Web Cryptography API updates
Changes introduced for IE11
The following topics were added for IE11:
- Autocomplete event handling
- Checkbox and radio button layout defaults
- Cross-browser plugin detection
- CSS expressions no longer supported for the Internet zone
- Default font changes
- Document modes are deprecated
- Enhanced protected mode (EPM) is enabled by default
- Flexible box ("Flexbox") layout updates
- Mutation observers
- Pointer events updates
- Pseudo hit testing is disabled in IE11 edge mode
- VBScript is no longer supported in IE11 edge mode
- Window event behavior has changed
Changes introduced for Internet Explorer 10
The following topics were added for Internet Explorer 10:
- ASP.NET fails to detect
- Browsing in the for web developers
- Conditional comments are no longer supported
- Customizing the download experience
- DX filters are no longer supported
- Element behaviors and HTCs are no longer supported
- Handling daylight saving time using JavaScript
- HTML5 quirks mode
- IE10 user-agent string
- Plugin and ActiveX support in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
- Spell checking and autocorrect support
- VML is no longer supported
- XML data islands are no longer supported
Changes introduced for Internet Explorer 9
The following topics were added for Internet Explorer 9:
- Arguments.caller is no longer supported
- Array index handling
- Binary behaviors and XML schema
- Binary behaviors are not longer bound automatically
- Content attributes and DOM properties
- CreateElement no longer supports angle brackets
- Dynamic VML pattern changes
- Enumerating JavaScript properties
- Font sizing for Thai and East Asian text
- Function pointer method calls
- IFrame resources are freed when removed from the DOM
- Indirect eval function called are now globally scoped
- Legacy DOM events are no longer supported
- Math precision and SSE2 differences
- MIME types and plain text content
- MIME types and stylesheets
- Native XML object types and legacy websites
- Null protocol return values
- Object element fallback applies to the DOM
- Overlapping elements are cloned
- Reducing MIME type security risks
- Rounded corners and legacy gradient filters
- Script elements and event execution
- Stylesheet titles are read-only
- Table object model consistency
- Text layout and natural metrics
- Understanding the Compatibility view list
- User-agent string changes for IE9
- Verify JavaScript framework support for the latest versions of
- Whitespace preservation and the DOM
- Window object properties are cleared when orphaned
- XSLT compatibility changes
Minor changes in recent versions of Internet Explorer
Each version of Internet Explorer includes many changes, too many to be fully documented. The following lists detail a few of the minor changes that you may not have seen reported elsewhere:
- Additional and changed features on Internet Explorer for Windows Phone 8.1 Update
- Minor compatibility changes in IE11
- IEInternals: Minor changes in IE10
- IEInternals: Minor changes in IE9 RTW
- IEInternals: Minor changes in IE9 RC
- IEInternals: Minor changes in IE9 Beta
Related topics
ActiveX controls and plugin changes
Browser features and compatibility changes
CSS and layout compatibility changes
HTML and DOM compatibility changes