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Q: Can an earlier version of Internet Explorer be installed on Windows 8?

A: Windows 8 ships with Internet Explorer 10, which is considered the base version of Internet Explorer for the OS. This means it isn't possible to install IE9 or IE8 locally on a Windows 8 installation.

Related: Surprising New Feature in IE 10: Do Not Track, On by Default

If a previous version is required, you have several options, assuming the standard Internet Explorer 10 compatibility features don't suffice. Those options are the following:

  • Installing client Hyper-V on the Windows 8 installation and running a previous version of Windows inside a virtual machine (VM) and accessing the earlier IE version through the VM
  • Configuring a Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Session Host and publishing a previous version of IE to the Windows 8 desktops, such as IE8 or IE9. If even earlier versions of IE are required, then the option to use a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server could be considered.

Learn more: Windows 8 Myths

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