How to Set MS Edge for IE Compatibility Mode

If you need to access legacy websites designed for earlier versions of Internet Explorer, such as those using VBScript client (as opposed to JavaScript), you may encounter issues with the website rendering or functionality in modern browsers, including Microsoft Edge.

However, there is a solution in Microsoft Edge that can help resolve these issues. By using Internet Explorer compatibility mode, you can ensure that these legacy websites will display and function properly in Microsoft Edge.

Here are the steps to set Microsoft Edge to Internet Explorer compatibility mode:

Method 1

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots (…) in the upper-right corner to access the settings menu.

2. Select the Settings option from the drop-down menu.

   

3. Under Settings on the left pane, scroll down to the Default browser section.

4. Click on the Add button under Internet Explorer mode pages and an Add a page window will open.

   

5. Enter the full URL (or IP address) of the legacy site and click the Add button, it will bring you back to the Settings window with the newly added site.

6. Close the Settings page and restart Microsoft Edge.

Here’s a summary of the steps in a screenshot:

After restarting Microsoft Edge, it will be set to use Internet Explorer compatibility mode and you should be able to access websites and web applications that require Internet Explorer.

Method 2

If you have Enterprise Mode turned on, you can just add the website URL to the file sites.xml:

1. Go to C:\IEEnterpriseMode folder and look for a file called sites.xml.

2. Open sites.xml with a text editor and you should see something similar to this:

   <site-list version="1">
     <created-by>
       <tool>EMIESiteListManager</tool>
       <version>12.0.0.0</version>
       <date-created>01/01/2023 00:24:49</date-created>
     </created-by>
     <site url="www.itnota.com">
       <compat-mode>IE11</compat-mode>
       <open-in>IE11</open-in>
     </site>
   </site-list>
   

3. Just add all the sites you want to access with IE compatibility mode to the XML file like so:

   <site-list version="1">
     <created-by>
       <tool>EMIESiteListManager</tool>
       <version>12.0.0.0</version>
       <date-created>01/01/2023 00:24:49</date-created>
     </created-by>
     <site url="www.itnota.com">
       <compat-mode>IE11</compat-mode>
       <open-in>IE11</open-in>
     </site>
     <site url="www.mysite.com">
       <compat-mode>IE11</compat-mode>
       <open-in>IE11</open-in>
     </site>
   </site-list>
   

4. Once completed, just save the file and exit.

You can try each method or both in conjunction. It shouldn’t affect one or the other. That’s all there is to it.

Further Reading

Enterprise Mode and the Enterprise Mode Site List
Turn on Enterprise Mode and use a site list