Use IE versions in parallel

IE - the Internet Explorer

Of the Internet Explorer (IE) is a browser developed by Microsoft which, due to the widespread use of the Windows operating system, was the market leader in the browser sector for a while. Today this is different, but many people use IE.

• Microsoft is constantly developing Internet Explorer. Today's versions have increased significantly in terms of performance, stability and compatibility. Earlier versions, however, were severely underdeveloped in these areas.
• Many different versions have been developed, and all of them portray websites slightly differently. As a developer, you should therefore test at least the last 2-3 versions of IE with your site.
• By default, Microsoft does not allow multiple versions of IE to be installed in Windows in parallel. But there are solutions for parallel installations.

Install several versions in parallel

There are several ways to install IE in different versions several times in parallel.

• The first way is to use tools that simulate certain functions of IE. One such tool is the IE tester. You can load a page in this and specify in the menu with which IE version the page should be displayed.
• Another variant are customized installation packages, which install IE multiple times bypassing Microsoft's restrictions. One such example is called UI Collection. After the installation you can start your browser version accordingly.
• The next (and best) alternative to installing multiple versions in parallel is to set up a virtual machine with a Windows operating system, e.g. B. by using VirtualBox or VMware. You can install one version of IE in each operating system that you set up (make as many copies of it). Then test your page in each virtual machine.