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For ordinary Microsoft Edge testing, use Selenium 4 with Microsoft Edge WebDriver. For legacy pages that need Internet Explorer behavior, use Internet Explorer Driver (IEDriver) to launch Microsoft Edge in IE mode; Microsoft’s guide requires IEDriver 4.0.0.0 or later. Standalone Internet Explorer is not a supported modern Selenium target: Selenium ended official support for it in June 2022.

Choose the right browser path

“Internet Explorer testing” can mean two different things: testing current Chromium-based Edge, or testing a legacy site using Internet Explorer compatibility behavior. They require different Selenium drivers and options.

Decision Current Microsoft Edge Legacy IE behavior
What runs Chromium-based Microsoft Edge IE mode inside Microsoft Edge
Selenium path Selenium 4 Edge driver classes Internet Explorer Driver and Internet Explorer options
Driver Microsoft Edge WebDriver IEDriver 4.0.0.0 or later, as required by Microsoft’s guide
Use it for Standard Edge compatibility and end-to-end tests Legacy applications that still require IE compatibility
Main caution Selenium 3 and the old EdgeHTML-specific driver are not the current Edge path IE mode or enterprise site configuration may be needed; standalone IE is retired

Microsoft’s Edge WebDriver guidance describes the current Edge automation route. For IE mode, follow Microsoft’s IE-mode automation guide. Microsoft Support says IE support ended on June 15, 2022, for certain Windows versions and describes IE mode as a compatibility route; organizations can configure it with an Enterprise Site List: Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge.

Run a Selenium test in current Microsoft Edge

Use Selenium 4 and Microsoft Edge WebDriver for a normal Edge test. Install the Selenium binding for your language, install or make the matching Edge WebDriver available as described in Microsoft’s current guidance, and use Selenium’s Edge-specific driver class. Do not use the legacy EdgeHTML Microsoft WebDriver for current Chromium-based Edge.

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Python example

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

options = webdriver.EdgeOptions()
driver = webdriver.Edge(options=options)
try:
    driver.get("https://example.com")
    assert "Example Domain" in driver.title
finally:
    driver.quit()

This example exercises ordinary Edge, not IE mode. Add assertions for the behavior your application requires. Keep driver.quit() in cleanup so the browser session is closed even if an assertion fails. For the current driver setup and language-specific guidance, see Microsoft’s Edge WebDriver documentation.

Run Selenium tests in Edge IE mode

For a legacy site that depends on IE behavior, Microsoft documents using Internet Explorer options with Internet Explorer Driver to attach to Edge. The example below follows Microsoft’s documented Python launch pattern; the executable path is specific to the machine and is not guaranteed to match every Windows installation.

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Python launch pattern

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

ie_options = webdriver.IeOptions()
ie_options.attach_to_edge_chrome = True
ie_options.edge_executable_path = "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft/Edge/Application/msedge.exe"

driver = webdriver.Ie(options=ie_options)
try:
    driver.get("https://example.com")
    # Add assertions for the legacy page under test.
finally:
    driver.quit()
  1. Install the Selenium binding for the project’s language and obtain IEDriver version 4.0.0.0 or later, the minimum specified in Microsoft’s IE-mode guide.
  2. Ensure the IEDriver executable can be found through PATH, or configure its location using the approach appropriate to your language binding and runtime.
  3. Create Internet Explorer options and enable attachment to Edge. Set the path to msedge.exe if your environment requires it.
  4. Start the session with the Internet Explorer driver and those options, navigate to the legacy page, and run the test assertions.
  5. Call driver.quit() when the test ends.

Microsoft’s guide also provides Java, C#, and JavaScript examples. Follow the current Microsoft IE-mode guide and Selenium’s IE-specific documentation for binding-specific configuration.

Driver version and automatic Edge detection

Microsoft specifies IEDriver 4.0.0.0 or later for its documented IE-mode setup. Selenium says that from IEDriver 4.5.0, explicit attach and executable-path parameters may not be needed when Internet Explorer is absent; if both IE and Edge are present, only the attach setting may be needed. Treat this as environment- and driver-version-dependent behavior, and verify it against the installed driver rather than assuming the options can always be omitted. See Selenium’s IE-specific functionality documentation.

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Check legacy Windows configuration when IE-mode startup fails

Some settings documented for legacy Internet Explorer Driver setups are not universal prerequisites for every Edge IE-mode machine. Check them when the relevant older Windows or IE configuration applies, rather than changing them indiscriminately.

  • Driver architecture: Selenium recommends the 32-bit IE driver because the 64-bit driver has known limitations.
  • Protected Mode: The legacy IE Driver Server guidance calls for consistent Protected Mode settings across security zones.
  • IE 11 registry setting: The legacy driver documentation also describes an IE 11 registry setting. Consult the exact Selenium IE Driver Server requirements for the machine and driver in use.
  • Enterprise site behavior: Some legacy sites need to be configured for IE mode through an Enterprise Site List; confirm the organization’s Edge policy and site configuration with its administrator.

Troubleshoot common setup failures

Symptom Likely cause What to check
Current Edge session will not start Wrong driver path, a mismatched setup, or use of an obsolete EdgeHTML-era driver Use Selenium 4 and Microsoft Edge WebDriver for current Chromium-based Edge, and follow Microsoft’s setup guidance.
IE-mode session cannot find or attach to Edge IEDriver is unavailable, too old, or the Edge attachment/path options do not fit the machine Check that IEDriver 4.0.0.0 or later is available and verify the msedge.exe path and attach_to_edge_chrome setting against Microsoft’s guide.
IE-mode session fails only on a particular legacy site The site may not be configured to run in IE mode for the organization Check IE-mode policy and the Enterprise Site List with the organization’s Edge administrator.
Legacy IE driver behaves inconsistently across zones Protected Mode settings may differ between security zones in a legacy IE setup Review the configuration requirements in Selenium’s IE Driver Server documentation; apply them only where relevant to the legacy environment.
A test leaves browser processes running The session was not closed after the test Put driver.quit() in a finally block or the test framework’s teardown hook.

Performance, reliability, and maintenance

  • Use current Edge WebDriver for current Edge tests; reserve IEDriver and IE-mode configuration for legacy compatibility coverage.
  • Keep browser and driver setup under the project’s normal environment-management process, and verify the configured executable paths on each Windows test machine.
  • Close each WebDriver session as part of test cleanup to avoid accumulating browser processes.
  • IE-mode execution depends on browser and organizational configuration as well as Selenium code. A successful local launch does not establish that every enterprise-managed machine or site is configured identically.

Or skip the browser setup

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can Selenium still automate standalone Internet Explorer?

Selenium officially ended support for standalone Internet Explorer in June 2022. For legacy IE behavior, use Internet Explorer Driver with Edge IE mode instead.

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Does Edge IE mode make a test an ordinary Edge test?

No. IE mode is a compatibility mode for legacy content inside Microsoft Edge; use it only when the application needs that behavior. Ordinary Edge coverage uses Selenium’s Edge driver classes.

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