Removing Internet Explorer from a Server: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to remove Internet Explorer from a server and still ensure that links open on click with this comprehensive step-by-step guide.

Why remove Internet Explorer from a server?

Internet Explorer is an outdated web browser that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Removing it from your server can help improve security and user experience. However, there are complications when uninstalling Internet Explorer that can make links in Office programs, like Outlook or Excel, no longer function as expected. If you're getting the below error, this guide is for you.

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

Step 1: Install a different browser

Before removing Internet Explorer, it's important to have another web browser installed on your server. Popular alternatives include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. I generally stick with Edge for this purpose because it is the most likely browser to stay installed on a Microsoft Server.

Step 2: Find the path to another browser executable

To ensure that links open on click after removing Internet Explorer, you need to specify the path to the executable file of the browser you want to use. The simplest way to find the path is to right click the desktop shortcut and select properties. You should see the path in the target field, and it should look something like this.

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

Once you find the path, make note of it as you will need it in the next step.

Step 3: Update registry keys

The next step is to update the registry key to specify the path to the executable file of the new browser. Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing 'regedit', and hitting Enter. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\htmlfile\shell\open\command

In this key, you will find a (Default) value. Double-click on it and replace the existing value with the path of the alternative browser. If this path does not exist or you need to create the (Default) value, right click in the right pane and select New > String value. The value data should be as follows:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" %1

Once you have updated the registry keys, close the Registry Editor.

Step 4: Remove the Internet Explorer feature

Now that we have set a different browser to handle clicks, we can remove Internet Explorer. The following Powershell commands will take care of this for us. The 64-bit command should work for most server installations, but you may need the 32-bit command if this is a legacy system.

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName Internet-Explorer-Optional-amd64 -Online

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName Internet-Explorer-Optional-x86 -Online

Step 5: Restart the server

After updating the registry and removing Internet Explorer, it's important to restart the server for the changes to take effect. Once the server has restarted, Internet Explorer should be uninstalled and links in Microsoft Office programs should still work.