Testing Internet Explorer on Mac in 2026: A Complete Guide

As an app and browser testing expert with over 10 years of experience evaluating thousands of devices and browsers, I know that testing Internet Explorer (IE) properly remains crucial, even in 2024.

In this comprehensive guide, I will equip you with the methods and insights needed to test and optimize websites for IE—even when working on Mac devices.

Why Test IE in 2024? Isn‘t it Irrelevant Now?

With Microsoft Edge having become the default browser for Windows 11 and 10, you may wonder if testing IE still matters in 2024. After all, IE holds only 1.08% of the global desktop browser market share as of January 2023, according to StatCounter.

However, even with its reduced usage, optimizing sites for IE remains mission-critical for two main reasons:

Firstly, a meaningful population of loyal IE users still relies on IE for browsing: Per W3Counter data, over 5% of US desktop users still use IE versions 6 to 11 as of December 2022. These users have likely used IE for years and continue to favor it out of familiarity. Not optimizing sites for their browser risks alienating these loyal users.

Secondly, IE compatibility builds credibility: Making sites work seamlessly on IE demonstrates your commitment to browser inclusiveness to customers. This helps strengthen your brand reputation. Ignoring IE can backfire among enterprise users who equate IE support with credibility.

Between the revenue impact of losing loyal IE users and the reputational damage from an IE compatibility gap, testing IE remains a must.

Now let me walk you through the best ways to do so even when working on Mac devices without native IE support.

Challenges of Testing IE on Mac

As a Windows exclusive browser optimized solely for Windows operating systems, Internet Explorer poses Mac users a testing conundrum.

You cannot natively install IE versions on macOS devices since Microsoft only created IE for Windows OS.

In the past, Mac users had to use inefficient workarounds like:

• Virtual machines to simulate Windows and IE — but these drain resources and offer inaccurate testing
• Emulators that mimic IE — but rarely fully replicate the real browser behavior

Thankfully, better solutions have now emerged specifically to address IE testing from Mac devices…

3 Best Ways to Test IE on Mac

Based on my experience overseeing thousands of browser testing cycles, I have identified these 3 methods as the best for evaluating IE on Mac:

1. BrowserStack Live

BrowserStack Live enables instant access to real Windows devices and IE browsers via cloud infrastructure.

Instead of complex virtual machine setups, BrowserStack handles everything on their side. They allow you to:

• Choose from Windows 7 to Windows 11 operating systems
• Select all IE versions from 6 to 11
• Test sites on genuine IE browsers like IE8 on Windows 7
• Identify bugs instantly during live test sessions
• Fix issues directly by modifying code or styles

I consider BrowserStack Live the gold standard for simplified, yet entirely accurate IE testing on Mac.

Below is an example of the browser selection dashboard where you can initiate an IE test session with one click:

With over 10 years as an expert tester, I always rely first on BrowserStack Live whenever I need to evaluate IE from my Mac device.

2. Safari Developer Tools

An alternative approach is using Safari‘s web inspector to mimic IE‘s browser engine for rendering web pages during testing.

Here is how to leverage this method:

• Open Safari browser → Preferences → Advanced
• Under "Show develop menu in menu bar," choose the IE browser engine
• Load your web page and inspect rendering via the Safari Web Inspector
• Identify any layout or styling issues
• Debug and fix problems for IE optimization

However, remember this method does not offer 100% fidelity to real IE browsing. Treat it more as a supplementary technique if BrowserStack access is unavailable.

3. Online Emulators

Websites like browserling.com provide free online access to a wide variety of mobile and desktop browsers via emulation.

The steps would be:

• Go to browserling.com
• Choose "IE" as the browser
• Input your website URL to test
• Browserling will load an emulated IE browser instance
• Test site interactivity and compatbility with IE

However, emulators always carry accuracy risks compared to real browsers. So rely more on BrowserStack Live where possible.

Key Tips for Testing IE Effectively

Beyond choosing the right testing methods, I wanted to share some additional tips—coming from my 10+ years of app and browser test leadership—to help you maximize success when evaluating IE from your Mac:

• Dedicate sufficient testing time for IE: Do not treat IE as an afterthought. Set aside dedicated QA cycles for IE instead of just quick checks. Identify IE-specific issues around functionality, layout, speed, and security.

• Test all features on IE: Conduct end-to-end testing across all site pages and flows—not just the homepage. IE-specific bugs can creep up in surprising pages.

• Use BrowserStack for final optimization: Leverage speedy emulators for initial checks. But use BrowserStack’s real IE browsers for final compatibility fixes before launch.

• Create separate IE-specific test cases: Building dedicated IE test suites forces product teams to assign proper time for IE instead of glossing over it.

Prioritizing these best practices has helped me deliver amazing web experiences consistently for IE users over my career.

Now over to you!

Conclusion

I hope this guide has shown that delivering optimized website experiences for the trusty old Internet Explorer remains a key responsibility for tech teams in 2024—even when working fully from Mac devices.

While Microsoft Edge has succeeded IE as Windows‘ default browser, a sizeable cluster of loyal enterprise and individual IE aficionados persists. We owe it to them to maintain flawless IE compatibility. Doing so also bolsters the credibility of our brands in the eyes of customers.

Thankfully, as I have showcased here, solutions like BrowserStack Live make robustly testing IE from Mac easier than ever with instant access to real Windows-IE browser environments on-demand. Combining cutting-edge cloud tools with sound testing methodology enables Mac users to achieve the same level of rigorous IE testing as their Windows counterparts.

I‘m confident that by leveraging these battle-tested tips and solutions, you will be well-prepared to deliver amazing IE experiences moving forward while working fully from the comfort of your Mac machines!

To dig deeper into additional browser testing pro tips I‘ve compiled over my 10+ year career, explore my blog or reach out to me directly. I‘m always happy to help fellow testers master browser testing intricacies across Safari, Firefox, Chrome—and of course—the retro-cool Internet Explorer!