Internet Explorer

Also known as IE, Microsoft Internet Explorer

Cause of death

Killed by a successor

Made by

Microsoft

Microsoft replaced it with Edge and spent years actively persuading people to stop using it.

Internet Explorer won the first browser war so completely that it reached roughly 95% share, then stopped being developed, which is how the second browser war started. Its long decline made it the internet's default punchline, and Microsoft eventually joined in with its own campaign urging users to switch. It was retired in 2022 after nearly 27 years, though IE mode still runs inside Edge to keep corporate systems alive, which means it is dead and still quietly executing.

Replaced by Microsoft Edge.