Internet Explorer 9

Name: Internet Explorer 9
Availability: Discontinued
Author: Microsoft Corporation

Internet Explorer 9 was Microsoft's web browser released in March 2011, representing a significant modernization over IE8. It added hardware-accelerated graphics, improved JavaScript performance, and better HTML5/CSS3 support - narrowing the gap with Chrome and Firefox that had surpassed IE in standards compliance.

What it did

IE9 rendered web pages using GPU acceleration, making animations and graphics smoother. The new JavaScript engine (Chakra) ran code significantly faster than IE8. HTML5 support included the video and audio elements, canvas, and SVG. A streamlined interface removed clutter, and pinned sites let you dock web apps to the Windows taskbar.

The download manager tracked files and warned about potentially malicious downloads. Tracking Protection allowed blocking third-party tracking content. It required Windows Vista or later (dropping XP support).

Advantages

Major performance improvement over IE8
GPU-accelerated rendering
Tracking Protection for privacy
Cleaner interface design

Drawbacks

Support ended January 2016
Still lagged behind Chrome and Firefox in standards support
Internet Explorer entirely retired June 2022
Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Firefox are the current browsers

Who it was for

IE9 was for Windows users during the browser transition period of 2011-2016. Internet Explorer was completely retired in June 2022, replaced by Microsoft Edge. Edge, Chrome, and Firefox all offer modern web standards support, security updates, and cross-platform availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was new in Internet Explorer 9?

GPU-accelerated rendering, the Chakra JavaScript engine, HTML5/CSS3 support, a streamlined interface, pinned sites, and Tracking Protection for privacy.

Is Internet Explorer still available?

No. Microsoft retired Internet Explorer entirely in June 2022. It has been replaced by Microsoft Edge, which uses the Chromium engine.

What browser should I use now?

Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox are all modern, secure, and actively maintained browsers with full web standards support.

Features & How-To Guide

#	Feature	How to use
1	Hardware page rendering acceleration	Page rendering through the GPU (Direct2D/DirectWrite) instead of the CPU. Enabled automatically when the driver supports DirectX 9.
2	HTML5 and CSS3 support	Native support for Canvas/SVG/HTML5 audio/video/CSS3 transitions/media queries. To check: F12 › Emulation.
3	InPrivate browsing	Tools (Alt+X) › InPrivate Browsing (Ctrl+Shift+P). A session that does not save history/cookies/cache.
4	Chakra JavaScript engine with JIT compilation	A new JavaScript engine with Just-in-Time compilation. Much higher script performance compared to IE8.
5	Oil painting filter	Checks downloaded EXE/MSI files against the Microsoft reputation database. Configuration: Tools › SmartScreen Filter.
6	Pin pages to taskbar	Drag a site icon onto the Windows 7 taskbar. It creates a shortcut that launches IE9 with that site.
7	H.264 hardware video decoding	H.264 decoding through the GPU (Media Foundation). Smooth HD video playback on HTML5 pages without Adobe Flash.
8	Quick access lists (Jump Lists)	Right-click a pinned site on the taskbar › Click a chosen section of the site to open it.
9	Download manager	Ctrl+J or View › Downloads. A list of downloads with the ability to pause/resume and the file threat level.
10	F12 developer tools	F12 opens the DOM inspector/JavaScript console/debugger/network profiler. The Emulation tab simulates older versions of IE.
11	Tracking protection	Tools › Security › Enable Tracking Protection. Blocks external tracking scripts based on TPL lists.