Microsoft Edge replaced Internet Explorer as Microsoft’s default browser in Windows 10.
Microsoft introduced Edge alongside Windows 10 in 2015 under the codename Project Spartan. The browser was designed as a modern successor to Internet Explorer, with a new interface, improved standards support, reading features, annotation tools, and integration with Windows services. Microsoft announced the change in April 2015, before Windows 10 launched publicly.
Internet Explorer was not immediately removed. Internet Explorer 11 remained included in Windows 10 for compatibility with older websites, enterprise intranets, ActiveX controls, and legacy business applications. That coexistence is why some users remember both browsers appearing in the operating system.
Another potential source of confusion is that the original Edge, now often called Edge Legacy, was later replaced itself. Microsoft rebuilt Edge around the open-source Chromium project, using the Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript engine. The Chromium-based version began rolling out in January 2020, while Internet Explorer’s desktop application was eventually retired for most supported Windows 10 users in 2022.