Enjoy faster, more efficient browsing. For starters, Internet Explorer 9 sets up more quickly than previous versions and doesn’t require that you install updates separately. After it’s installed, you’re ready to start browsing. Internet Explorer 9 utilizes the power of modern multi-core processors and graphics cards so applications, high-definition audio and video, and the most graphics-intensive pages load quickly. This hardware-accelerated browsing means you can spend more time getting your job done and less time waiting.

Internet Explorer 9 gets out of the way. The streamlined browser interface reduces distractions, simplifying navigation and putting the focus on applications and website content—rather than on the browser itself. By default, only the controls essential for browsing (including the Back, Home, and Forward buttons and an updated Address bar) appear in the browser frame, and other frequently used commands are just a click away. A smarter Address bar (the new One Box) integrates search and navigation functionality. The inline AutoComplete and search suggestions anticipate what you’re looking for and help you get to websites quickly without having to remember a full web address. And accessing frequently used websites is easier, too, now that you can drag a tab from Internet Explorer and pin it to the Windows taskbar, making it available with just one click.

Browsing the web is safer and more consistent with the Internet Explorer 9 array of built-in security and reliability technologies. Internet Explorer 9 SmartScreen Filter provides industry-leading protection against malware and phishing. In fact, recent independent testing by NSS Labs demonstrates that Internet Explorer 9 blocks up to 33 times more malware threats than competing browsers. Download Manager provides a single location for controlling your downloads. The robust Tab Isolation, Crash Recovery, and Hang Recovery features help minimize disruptions and help ensure that browsing sessions don’t stall when a single website isn’t working correctly. And when browsing issues arise, notification messages in Internet Explorer 9 can help you better understand what the problem is and what remedial action you can take.

Because it’s a central component in the Microsoft end-to-end Windows Optimized Desktop strategy, Internet Explorer 9 integrates seamlessly with Microsoft client, server, and management infrastructures. Built around HTML5 and other current web standards, and with extensive support for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS3), and Document Object Model (DOM), Internet Explorer 9 enables developers to use consistent markup to run their web applications on multiple browsers―an important step toward an interoperable web. In addition, three backwards-compatibility (document) modes give Internet Explorer 9 the ability to render webpages written for Internet Explorer 5.5, or Quirks mode, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8—and can help minimize migration hassles. In fact, if you visit a website that does not look quite right, click the Compatibility View button on the Address bar. This can often correct display problems.