How to determine which version of Internet Explorer is installed

Released versions of Internet Explorer for Windows

Internet Explorer version numbers for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista use the following format: This table includes possible Internet Explorer version numbers.

   Version          Product
   -----------------------------------------------------------------
   4.40.308         Internet Explorer 1.0 (Plus! for Windows 95)
   4.40.520         Internet Explorer 2.0
   4.70.1155        Internet Explorer 3.0
   4.70.1158        Internet Explorer 3.0 (Windows 95 OSR2)
   4.70.1215        Internet Explorer 3.01
   4.70.1300        Internet Explorer 3.02 and 3.02a
   4.71.544         Internet Explorer 4.0 Platform Preview 1.0 (PP1)
   4.71.1008.3      Internet Explorer 4.0 Platform Preview 2.0 (PP2)
   4.71.1712.6      Internet Explorer 4.0
   4.72.2106.8      Internet Explorer 4.01
   4.72.3110.8      Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1 (Windows 98)
   4.72.3612.1713   Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2 
   5.00.0518.10     Internet Explorer 5 Developer Preview (Beta 1)
   5.00.0910.1309   Internet Explorer 5 Beta (Beta 2)
   5.00.2014.0216   Internet Explorer 5
   5.00.2314.1003   Internet Explorer 5 (Office 2000)
   5.00.2614.3500   Internet Explorer 5 (Windows 98 Second Edition)
   5.00.2516.1900   Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 Beta 3, build 5.00.2031)
   5.00.2919.800    Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 RC1, build 5.00.2072)
   5.00.2919.3800   Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 RC2, build 5.00.2128)
   5.00.2919.6307   Internet Explorer 5.01 (Office 2000 SR-1)
   5.00.2920.0000   Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000, build 5.00.2195)
   5.00.3103.1000   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP1 (Windows 2000 SP1)
   5.00.3105.0106   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP1 (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0)
   5.00.3314.2101   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0)
   5.00.3315.1000   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 (Windows 2000 SP2)
   5.00.3502.1000   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP3 (Windows 2000 SP3 only)
   5.00.3700.1000   Internet Explorer 5.01 SP4 (Windows 2000 SP4 only)
   5.50.3825.1300   Internet Explorer 5.5 Developer Preview (Beta)
   5.50.4030.2400   Internet Explorer 5.5 & Internet Tools Beta
   5.50.4134.0100   Internet Explorer 5.5 for Windows Me (4.90.3000)
   5.50.4134.0600   Internet Explorer 5.5
   5.50.4308.2900   Internet Explorer 5.5 Advanced Security Privacy Beta
   5.50.4522.1800   Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1
   5.50.4807.2300   Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2
   6.00.2462.0000   Internet Explorer 6 Public Preview (Beta)
   6.00.2479.0006   Internet Explorer 6 Public Preview (Beta) Refresh
   6.00.2600.0000   Internet Explorer 6 (Windows XP)
   6.00.2800.1106   Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (Windows XP SP1)
   6.00.2900.2180   Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP SP2
   6.00.3663.0000   Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 RC1 
   6.00.3718.0000   Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 RC2
   6.00.3790.0000   Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 (released)
   6.00.3790.1830   Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows XP x64
   6.00.3790.3959   Internet Explorer 6 SP2 for Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows XP x64   
   7.00.5730.1100   Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
   7.00.6000.16386  Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Vista
   7.00.6000.16441  Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64
   7.00.6000.16441  Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP SP2 x64

Notes

• The minor version number, build number, and sub-build number may be displayed without trailing zeros. For example, version 7.00.5730.1100 may be displayed as 7.0.5730.11.
• All versions of Internet Explorer 5.0 and later that are customized with Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) include one of the following strings after the version number when you click About on the Help menu:

  IC = Internet Content Provider
  IS = Internet Service Provider
  CO = Corporate Administrator

• Internet Explorer versions 4.0 and later include an Update Versions line that lists all installed updates or hotfixes to the current version of Internet Explorer. Updates to Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2 or Internet Explorer 5.0 and later are listed by their corresponding Microsoft Knowledge Base article number (for example, 164539 refers to this article).
• The version numbers of Internet Explorer in the list are based on the versions of Windows. The list numbers might be modified by the latest hotfix.
• The build number of Internet Explorer in the release version of Windows Vista is the same as in other versions.

How to determine the version of Internet Explorer for Windows

To determine the version of Internet Explorer, use any of the following methods:

• Determine the version of Internet Explorer by using the user interface
  
  In all versions of Internet Explorer, click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. The product and version information is displayed in the dialog box that appears.
• Determine the version of Internet Explorer by using the registry:
  
  You can determine the version of Internet Explorer that you are running by viewing the following registry key:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

  If a "Version" value appears in this key, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later is installed. The "Version" string value contains the version of Internet Explorer 4.0 or later that is installed on your computer (for example, the Version string value for Internet Explorer 5 is "5.0.2014.0216"). Note that only one zero is stored in the registry for the minor version number if the minor version number is 00. If the minor version is not 00, the full version value is stored (for example, 5.50.4807.2300 is stored in the registry as 5.50.4807.2300).
  
  Internet Explorer 3.x does not add the "Version" value to the registry. Instead, it adds a "Build" value to the same registry key and updates the "IVer" string value to "103." For backwards compatibility, Internet Explorer 4.0 and later modifies or adds the "Build" value. For Internet Explorer 3.x, the "Build" value is a string that contains the four-character build number (for example, "1300" for Internet Explorer 3.02). For Internet Explorer 4.0 and later, the "Build" value is a string that contains a five-character value, followed by a period and four more characters, in the following format:

  major versionbuild number.sub-build number

  For example, the "Build" value for Internet Explorer 5 is "52014.0216."
  
  Internet Explorer 1.0 for Windows 95 (included with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95) does not add the "Version" or "Build" values to the registry. Instead, it adds an "IVer" value to the same registry key and sets the string value to "100." Internet Explorer 2.0 for Windows 95 adds the "Build" value (which it sets to "520"), and updates the "IVer" string value to "102." Versions of Internet Explorer that are included with Windows NT 4.0 do not add the "Build" value to the registry, but they do update the "IVer" string value to "101."
  
  If none of these values is in the registry, Internet Explorer is not installed properly or at all.
• Determine the version of Internet Explorer by using the Shdocvw.dll file:
  
  For Internet Explorer 3.0 through 6.0, the browser is implemented in the Shdocvw.dll (Shell Document Object and Control Library) file. You can use the version of the Shdocvw.dll file to determine the version of Internet Explorer 3.0 through 6.0 that is installed on your computer. To determine the version of Internet Explorer 7, you must use the version of Iexplore.exe. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
  2. In the Named box, type shdocvw.dll, and then click Find Now.
  3. In the list of files, right-click the Shdocvw.dll file, and then click Properties.
  4. Click the Version tab.
  5. Repeat steps 2 through 4, but in step 2 type iexplore.exe. If the version of Iexplore.exe is 7.x, then Internet Explorer 7 is installed. Use the table of Internet Explorer versions earlier in this article to compare the version number to released versions of Internet Explorer 7.
  This table lists the different versions of the Shdocvw.dll file and the corresponding versions of Internet Explorer.

        Version         Product
        --------------------------------------------------------------
        4.70.1155       Internet Explorer 3.0
        4.70.1158       Internet Explorer 3.0 (Windows 95 OSR2)
        4.70.1215       Internet Explorer 3.01
        4.70.1300       Internet Explorer 3.02 and 3.02a
        4.71.1008.3     Internet Explorer 4.0 Platform Preview 2.0 (PP2)
        4.71.1712.5     Internet Explorer 4.0
        4.72.2106.7     Internet Explorer 4.01
        4.72.3110.3     Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1 (Windows 98)
        4.72.3612.1707  Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2
        5.00.0518.5     Internet Explorer 5 Developer Preview (Beta 1)
        5.00.0910.1308  Internet Explorer 5 Beta (Beta 2)
        5.00.2014.213   Internet Explorer 5
        5.00.2314.1000  Internet Explorer 5 (Office 2000)
        5.00.2516.1900  Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 Beta 3, build 5.00.2031)
        5.00.2614.3500  Internet Explorer 5 (Windows 98 Second Edition)
        5.00.2919.800   Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 RC1, build 5.00.2072)
        5.00.2919.3800  Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000 RC2, build 5.00.2128)
        5.00.2919.6307  Internet Explorer 5.01 (Office 2000 SR-1)
        5.00.2920.0000  Internet Explorer 5.01 (Windows 2000, build 5.00.2195)
        5.00.3103.1000  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP1 (Windows 2000 SP1)
        5.00.3105.0106  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP1 (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0) 
        5.00.3314.2100  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0)
        5.00.3315.2879  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 (Windows 2000 SP2)
        5.00.3502.5400  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP3 (Windows 2000 SP3 only)
        5.00.3700.6668  Internet Explorer 5.01 SP4 (Windows 2000 SP4 only)
        5.50.3825.1300  Internet Explorer 5.5 Developer Preview (Beta)
        5.50.4030.2400  Internet Explorer 5.5 & Internet Tools Beta
        5.50.4134.0100  Internet Explorer 5.5 for Windows Me (4.90.3000)
        5.50.4134.0600  Internet Explorer 5.5
        5.50.4308.2900  Internet Explorer 5.5 Advanced Security Privacy Beta
        5.50.4522.1800  Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1
        5.50.4807.2300  Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2
        6.00.2462.0000  Internet Explorer 6 Public Preview (Beta)
        6.00.2479.0006  Internet Explorer 6 Public Preview (Beta) Refresh
        6.00.2600.0000  Internet Explorer 6 (Windows XP)
        6.00.2800.1106  Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (Windows XP SP1)
        6.00.2900.2180  Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP SP2
        6.00.2800.1278  Internet Explorer 6 Update v.01 Developer Preview (SP1b Beta)
        6.00.2800.1314  Internet Explorer 6 Update v.04 Developer Preview (SP1b Beta) 
        6.00.3663.0000  Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 RC1 
        6.00.3718.0000  Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 RC2
        6.00.3790.0000  Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 (released)
        6.00.3790.1830  Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows XP x64
  

  
  
  Notes
  • The minor version number, build number, and sub-build number may be displayed without trailing zeros. For example, version 7.00.5730.1100 may be displayed as 7.0.5730.11.
  • The Shdocvw.dll file is installed in the %Windir%\System folder in Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition. The Shdocvw.dll file is installed in the %Windir%\System32 folder in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. If the Shdocvw.dll file does not exist, Internet Explorer is either not installed correctly or not installed at all.
  • If the version of the Shdocvw.dll file on your computer is not listed in this table, you have installed an Internet Explorer hotfix, patch, or security update that contains a later version of the Shdocvw.dll file. For example, Shdocvw.dll version 6.0.2800.1170 for Internet Explorer 6 SP1 is included with the MS03-015: April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (813489) package. If your version of Shdocvw.dll is not listed in this table, you are running the version of Internet Explorer with the closest version number that is lower than your version number. To determine which Internet Explorer hotfix, patch, or security update is installed, search for your Shdocvw.dll version number and "Shdocvw.dll" in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
  • Internet Explorer 6 Update v.01 and v.04 are pre-release versions of Internet Explorer 6 that change the behavior of Internet Explorer when loading ActiveX controls. These pre-release updates are installed in side-by-side mode and will not affect the installation or version number of Internet Explorer 6 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106). Internet Explorer 6 Update v.01 and v.04 require Windows XP Service Pack 1. For more information about these pre-release updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/ieupdate/default.aspx

  • The version numbers of Internet Explorer in the list are based on the versions of Windows. The list numbers might be modified by the latest hotfix.
• Determine the version of Internet Explorer by using a script:
  
  All versions of Internet Explorer send version information in the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) user agent information header. This information can be read from script on a Web page. For information about how to use a script to obtain the version of Internet Explorer someone is using, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  167820 How to determine browser version from a script

  272413 How to determine browser type in server-side script without the BrowserType object

  Web page developers can use this information to take advantage of new features in later versions of Internet Explorer (for example, Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language [HTML] or Channels in Internet Explorer 4.x), and degrade gracefully for earlier versions of Internet Explorer that do not support these features.
  
  If you need to uniquely identify Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later versions (on Microsoft Win32 and UNIX platforms only), use the isComponentInstalled or getComponentVersion methods of the CLIENTCAPS behavior. For information about these methods, see the following Microsoft Web sites:

  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms531357.aspx
  
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms531350.aspx

  Note These methods do not work if the client is not Internet Explorer 5 or later (Microsoft Win32 and UNIX platforms only).

Internet Explorer versions for other operating systems

Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1, Internet Explorer for UNIX on Sun Solaris, Internet Explorer for UNIX on HP-UX, and Internet Explorer for Macintosh are no longer available from, or supported by, Microsoft.

Internet Explorer for Macintosh or Windows 3.1

In Internet Explorer, click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. On the Macintosh, click About Internet Explorer on the Apple menu. The version number is displayed in the dialog box that appears. Possible version numbers include:

   Windows 3.1   Macintosh Classic*   Macintosh OS X 
   ------------------------------------------------- 
   2.0           2.0                  5.1.1 
   2.01          2.1                  5.1.2 
   2.1           3.0                  5.1.3 
   3.0           3.0a                 5.1.4 
   3.0a          3.01a                5.2 
   3.01          4.0                  5.2.1 
   3.02a         4.5                  5.2.2 
   4.0           4.5.1                5.2.3 
   5             5.01 
                 5.1 
                 5.1.3 
                 5.1.4 
                 5.1.5 
                 5.1.6 
                 5.1.7 

Note If the version number is 3.0, you should also check the build number next to the version number. To determine if you are running the 128-bit strong encryption version of Internet Explorer for Macintosh, click About Internet Explorer on the Apple menu, and then click Support. The Encryption box should contain the current encryption level. Examples include:

• 40 Bit International/Export Version
• 128 Bit US Domestic (Not for Export)

Another way to determine if you are running the 128-bit strong encryption version is to use the Get Info command on one of the following files (depending on your processor family: PowerPC or 68xxx) and examine the version information:

• System Folder:Extensions:MS Library Folder:MS Internet Library (PPC)
• System Folder:Extensions:MS Library Folder:MS Internet Library (68K)

Internet Explorer for UNIX on Sun Solaris

To determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your Solaris SPARC computer, use the following steps:

1. Start a Terminal window. Determine the path to the installed Internet Explorer files. ( The default path is /usr/local/microsoft/, used in the following steps as the example path).
2. At the prompt, type cd /usr/local/microsoft, and then press ENTER.
3. Type ls -d ie*, and then press ENTER. If you see "ie4" displayed, you are running Internet Explorer 4.0; if you see "ie" displayed, you are running Internet Explorer 5.0.
4. At the prompt, type cd ie*/sunos5, and then press ENTER.
5. Type ls -l libschannel.so, and then press ENTER.
6. Compare the file information to the following table to determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your computer.

   File            Version         Size     Product
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   libschannel.so  4.71.2011.4     257,668  Internet Explorer 4.01 40-bit
   libschannel.so  4.71.2011.4     257,744  Internet Explorer 4.01 128-bit
   libschannel.so  5.00.2013.1312  524,692  Internet Explorer 5.0 40-bit
   libschannel.so  5.00.2013.1312  523,180  Internet Explorer 5.0 128-bit
   libschannel.so  5.00.2013.2002  523,672  Internet Explorer 5.0 SP1 Beta 128-bit
   

Internet Explorer for UNIX on HP-UX

To determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your HP-UX computer, use the following steps:

1. Start a Terminal window. Determine the path to the installed Internet Explorer files. (The default path is /usr/local/microsoft/, used in the following steps as the example path).
2. At the prompt, type cd /usr/local/microsoft, and then press ENTER.
3. Type ls -d ie*, and then press ENTER. If you see "ie4" displayed, you are running Internet Explorer 4.0; if you see "ie" displayed, you are running Internet Explorer 5.0.
4. At the prompt, type cd ie*/ux10, and then press ENTER.
5. If you have Internet Explorer 4.0, type ls -l libschannel.sl, and then press ENTER. If you have Internet Explorer 5.0, type ls -l libcrypt32.sl, and then press ENTER.
6. Compare the file information to the following table to determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your computer.

   File            Version         Size       Product
   -------------------------------------------------------------------------
   libschannel.sl  4.71.2004.9     181,023    Internet Explorer 4.01 40-bit
   libschannel.sl  4.71.2004.9     181,025    Internet Explorer 4.01 128-bit
   libcrypt32.sl   5.00.2013.1312  1,064,393  Internet Explorer 5.0 40-bit
   libcrypt32.sl   5.00.2013.1312  1,072,589  Internet Explorer 5.0 128-bit