- What is the best Web browser for Mac 2020? Some of the best web browsers for mac are Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera, and Edge Chromium. These feature-rich web browsers can be used to browse the internet on a MacBook or an iMac.
- For many Mac users, the term 'web browser' is probably synonymous with 'Safari,' given that Apple's browser is included as the default on all its devices.
See what's new on the latest version of the Microsoft Edge browser. Explore features, rewards, and more before you download the new browser today.
If you've just recently switched from PC to Mac, you've probably noticed that instead of Internet Explorer or Edge that you're used to, Mac has its own proprietary browser called Safari. In fact if you try searching for 'download Internet Explorer for Mac' you'll quickly realize that the exact IE equivalent on Mac doesn't exist. What do you do then?
Interestingly, at the dawn of the world wide web in the late 90s, Internet Explorer was the default browser on all Macs. But when Apple introduced Safari as the new default browser in 2003, Microsoft has decided to discontinue the development of IE for Mac shortly after. So unless you run Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier (why would you?), there is no way to directly install Internet Explorer on Mac. And you definitely shouldn't use the Internet Explorer versions from pre-2003 right now.
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How To Use Internet Explorer on Mac
Although natively launching Internet Explorer on Mac isn't possible, there are other ways to simulate IE for Mac experience. You could mask Safari as different versions of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, you could also install a virtual machine and launch IE for Mac that way, or you could simply choose to use any other third-party browser available on macOS.
Simulate Internet Explorer on Mac with Safari
Most of the time, if you need to use Internet Explorer on Mac, it's probably for testing purposes, to see how certain websites or web apps perform, or to access websites that require you to use IE (yes, those still exist).
Both of those use cases could be easily performed by Safari. To use Internet Explorer with Safari, you just need to turn on developer tools:
- In Safari, go to Preferences > Advanced
- Check 'Show Develop menu in menu bar'
Now you can access developer tools directly from Safari, which let you inspect websites, empty caches, and most importantly simulate a variety of other browsers right through the Safari app. To use Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer on Mac:
- Go to the Develop menu in Safari's menu bar
- Navigate to User Agent and select the browser you're looking for, whether it's Microsoft Edge, any of the Internet Explorer versions, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.
- The website you're on will be automatically refreshed to reflect the browser of your choice. Just don't forget to switch back!
The User Agent option in Safari should cover nearly all reasons for using Internet Explorer on Mac. However, if you do absolutely need to launch Internet Explorer itself for one reason or another, you could also try doing it with the help of a virtual machine.
Launch Internet Explorer on a virtual machine
While using a virtual machine for Internet Explorer is not by any means an easy solution, it's still there for anyone who needs it. What virtual machine essentially does is installing a full-scale copy of Windows on your Mac and letting you launch it as an app inside the macOS. From there you can launch Internet Explorer or, in fact, any program you miss from your Windows days.
To set up virtual machine, first you need to buy a copy of some virtual machine software (VMware Fusion is a good one) and a license for Windows. Once you have those in place:
- Download both VMware fusion and the Windows ISO file
- Launch VMware Fusion
- In the Installation Method window, choose 'Create a new custom virtual machine'
- Drag and drop your Windows ISO file onto the dialogue window
- Click Finish
- Relaunch the virtual machine and click the play button to setup Windows
Now every time you need to use Internet Explorer on Mac, you can just launch the virtual machine and use IE directly with Windows that way. There are certainly a few downsides to this solution. First, you have to purchase both VMware Fusion and a licensed copy of Windows for the sole purpose of using Internet Explorer. Second, virtual machines tend to be quite heavy on your processor, as they are running the whole operating system inside them.
Another option available to you in case you don't specifically need to use IE for Mac but rather move away from Safari is to switch to any other third-party browser, all of which are freely available on macOS.
Use third-party browsers on Mac
If Safari is not your first browser of choice and using Internet Explorer for Mac is at the very least quite complicated, you can download any other stable and widely used browser out there and make it the default one on your macOS.
Google Chrome
By far the most dominant browser of today, Google Chrome currently commands 45–65% browser market share. Developed by Google, the browser is available on both desktop and mobile devices, and thus boasts a significant amount of plugins and web apps that are exclusive to it. Chrome has also been praised for its speed and tight integration with all other Google products. As for the downsides, using Chrome means being subjected to Google's pervading tracking and helping Google to effectively monopolize the web.
Firefox
Firefox is another great everyday browser. Heir to the first commercial web browser called Netscape, it's an open-source program owned by the not-for-profit Mozilla Foundation. Firefox is fast, secure, and boasts a supportive community around the world. All of this makes it a great alternative to Safari and Internet Explorer.
Brave
Brave is a newcomer to the browser arena that first appear only in 2015. Based on the open-source Chromium project (as is Google Chrome), the browser quickly gained a loyal following due to its aggressive privacy controls and ad blocking. Turning Brave into your default browser might seem a bit experimental at this point, but it nevertheless presents a good option for anyone concerned with privacy.
Microsoft Edge
Although not available on macOS as of early 2019, Microsoft has announced that it's currently rewriting the Edge browser engine to run on Chromium (like Google Chrome and Brave), which means it will become compatible with macOS too upon release. Fingers crossed, but in the meantime you can choose one of the alternative browsers listed above.
Overall, these are your three options of running Internet Explorer on Mac. You can use Safari's User Agent to view any webpage just as Internet Explorer would, launch the actual Internet Explorer browser through a virtual machine running Windows, or choose one of the alternative browsers if all you want to do is get away from Safari on Mac.
However, if you're new to Mac, a browser might not be the only thing you're concerned about. You also need to find apps to cover all kinds of issues related to optimization, organization, security, and productivity.
Essential apps for all new Mac owners
As soon as you switch from PC to Mac, you realize that sadly not all apps you loved and used daily are available on macOS. So naturally you need to find suitable replacements. The good news is Mac has an abundance of great apps for everything you need. But how do you choose and decide which ones are worth your time?
That's where a platform like Setapp becomes indispensable. Setapp is a collection of more than 150 essential apps and utilities for Mac that cover all possible use cases and scenarios. All apps in the collection are automatically updated to their latest versions and new apps are added regularly. It's a godsend for new and seasoned Mac users alike. Discover new apps that are the best at what they do? What's not to like?
Try all these apps for free
Get around browser restrictions to enjoy your web journey with useful apps for Mac users
Here is an essential introductory set of some of the apps featured on Setapp that every new Mac users should have.
Bartender
A lightweight utility performing a vital role, Bartender keeps your menu bar clean and tidy. As you use your Mac more and more, every new app would want to be featured in your menu bar (top-right corner). This quickly becomes unsustainable, and instead of a quick access to the apps you need, you'll spend more time just trying to find the right one.
Mac's default organization settings for menu bar are quite basic, only allowing you to reshuffle icons. Bartender lets you hide them under a single icon and feature just those you need to use right at the moment.
Ulysses
Lauded as the best writing tool for years, Ulysses features a clean interface and lets you focus on the writing process, whether it's for simple notes, speeches, or anything in between. And the app's Markdown support makes it much more web friendly, allowing direct exports to WordPress and Medium.
Disk Drill
No one ever wants to lose their files, no matter whether it's due to physical damage or accidental deletion. Disk Drill solves that problem by essentially insuring and giving you the option to recover your files. As the most widely used data recovery tool around, Disk Drill helps you back your files on a regular basis and save lost files from damaged hard drives if things ever go south.
CleanMyMac X
The ultimate Mac optimization app, CleanMyMac X keeps your Mac free of any junk, safely and completely uninstalls old apps, and protects you from being affected by malware. Just launch CleanMyMac X once a month to do a complete scan of your computer and you'll ensure your Mac's top condition.
Best of all, Bartender, Ulysses, Disk Drill, CleanMyMac X, and all other apps featured on Setapp are available to you on a free trial. Just launch Setapp and try out as many apps as you want, turning your transition to Mac from a chore to a pleasurable discovery.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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Run Internet Explorer on Mac is easy.
Globally, there are millions of users who are required to use Microsoft Internet Explorer for banking, human resources, tax systems, and many other corporate intranets. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and even Microsoft Edge are free browsers that are more stable and secure than IE. However, Internet Explorer is still the second most popular web browser in the world. This leaves current Mac® users in a bit of a bind. This is where Parallels Desktop® for Mac arrives as a reliable solution.
How to install Internet Explorer on Mac with Parallels Desktop:
- Download Parallels Desktop for Mac.
- Install, migrate your PC, or use an existing Boot Camp® partition of a Microsoft Windows operating system.
- Launch Internet Explorer in Microsoft Windows simultaneously alongside macOS® without rebooting
With Parallels Desktop you can easily download and run any popular PC programs, such as Microsoft Access, Paint Tool Sai or even play games.
Ie Browser For Mac Download
Issues with Other Solutions:
Boot Camp – This option demands for a partition on an existing hard drive. This means a user would be required to wipe their Mac hard drive and erase all existing files and partition that hard drive to make space for a Windows operating system. These two partitions on the hard drive are not seamlessly running side by side—they are divided, and act as such. With Parallels Desktop, users run a virtual machine on their Mac, and the rich integration of the two operating systems creates a seamless match. Users are then able to copy and paste, drag and drop, use Spotlight to search within Windows, or use even Cortana on Mac. Not to mention, the ability to share folders between the two operating systems allows users to avoid rebooting your Mac every time.
Pretend to run Internet Explorer with Safari's development tools – This option creates the opportunity for unexpected interruptions to your workflow later. Within Safari, there is an advanced setting to 'Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar,' which will provide you with a drop-down menu with Develop tools to launch a webpage in another browser, such as Internet Explorer.
This is a fantastic built-in resource for web developers to test—but for an everyday user, this is not ideal. If users select one of these above options, Safari will send a different user agent. (A user agent is the string of code that a user's browser sends to the desired site to let the site know which browser the user is attempting to access the site from.) This doesn't always work, as web forms are rarely supported through this method, and can cause web masters to ban any further access via Safari. This is not an ideal solution for long-term use, and users will not know if this solution will work until settings are changed and attempted.
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Ie Browser For Mac
Parallels Desktop is the #1 choice of Mac users for over 10 years for running Windows on Mac. If you're looking to run Internet Explorer for Windows on your Mac without rebooting, we encourage you to download a FREE 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac and get started today.
