Determining Which Version of Internet Explorer You Are Using

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0, 2.01, 2.1, 3.0, 3.0a, 3.01, 3.02a for Windows 3.1
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0, 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0, 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.0a, 3.01a for Macintosh
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01 for UNIX on Sun Solaris

SUMMARY

This article describes how to determine which version of Internet Explorer you are using.

MORE INFORMATION

Internet Explorer for Windows 95 or Windows NT

Internet Explorer version numbers use the following format:

   <major version>.<minor version>.<build number>.<sub-build number>

Version          Product

4.40.308         Internet Explorer 1.0 (Plus!)
4.40.520         Internet Explorer 2.0
4.70.1155        Internet Explorer 3.0
4.70.1158        Internet Explorer 3.0 (OSR2)
4.70.1215        Internet Explorer 3.01
4.70.1300        Internet Explorer 3.02
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

To determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your computer, use any of the following methods:

• Determining the Version of Internet Explorer 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.

  In Internet Explorer 4.0 and later, the version information is displayed in the System Properties dialog box. To view this information, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and then click Properties.

  NOTE: If Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 is installed after Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01, the Internet Explorer version number is not displayed in the About Internet Explorer or System Properties dialog boxes.

• Determining the Version of Internet Explorer Using the Registry

  You can obtain the version of Internet Explorer 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.x is installed. The "Version" string value contains the version of Internet Explorer 4.x that is installed on your computer (for example, the Version string value for Internet Explorer 4.01 is "4.72.2106.8").

  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.x 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.x, the "Build" value is a string that contains a five-character value that uses the following format:

        4<build number>.<sub-build number>
  

  For example, the "Build" value for Internet Explorer 4.01 is "42106.8."

  Internet Explorer 1.0 for Windows 95 (included with Microsoft Plus!) 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 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 are in the registry, Internet Explorer is not installed properly or at all.

  NOTE: You can also use the registry to determine the version of Internet Explorer that is restored if you uninstall Internet Explorer 4.x. For information about how to do so, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q165871
        TITLE:      How to Determine Your Previous Version of Internet
                    Explorer
  
  

• Determining the Version of Internet Explorer Using the Shdocvw.dll File

  For Internet Explorer 3.0 and later, 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 that is installed on your computer. 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" (without quotation marks), and

        then click Find Now.
  

  3. In the list of files, right-click the Scdocvw.dll file, and then

        click Properties.
  

  4. Click the Version tab.

  The following chart lists the different versions of the Shdocvw.dll file and the corresponding versions of Internet Explorer:

     Version       Size(bytes)  Date       Time     Product
     ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  
     4.70.1155       448,784    08-16-96    1:44p   Internet Explorer 3.0
     4.70.1158       449,296    08-24-96   11:11a   Internet Explorer 3.0
                                                     (OSR2)
     4.70.1215       476,432    10-15-96   10:40p   Internet Explorer 3.01
     4.70.1300       478,992    03-22-97    5:44p   Internet Explorer 3.02
     4.71.1008.3   1,604,368    07-12-97    2:00a   Internet Explorer 4.0
                                                     PP2
     4.71.1712.5   1,909,520    09-18-97    2:00a   Internet Explorer 4.0
     4.72.2106.7   1,916,688    11-17-97    9:00p   Internet Explorer 4.01
  
     The Shdocvw.dll file is installed in the Windows\System folder in
     Windows 95, and in the Winnt\System32 folder in Windows NT. If the
     Shdocvw.dll file does not exist, Internet Explorer 3.0 or later is not
     installed properly or at all.
  
  

• Determining the Version of Internet Explorer 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 article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q167820
        TITLE:      HOWTO: Determining Browser Version from a Script
  
     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.
  
  

• Identifying 128-Bit Versions of Internet Explorer

  To determine if you are running the 128-bit strong encryption version of Internet Explorer 3.x or 4.x, check the properties of the Schannel.dll file. To do so, follow these steps:

  NOTE: If you are running Internet Explorer 4.01, click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu to determine if the 128-bit or 40-bit version of the Schannel.dll file is installed.

  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.

  2. In the Named box, type "schannel.dll" (without quotation marks), and

        then click Find Now.
  

  3. In the list of files, right-click the Schannel.dll file, and then

        click Properties.
  

  4. Click the Version tab.

  For the 40-bit or Server Gated Cryptography (SGC) version of the Schannel.dll file, "PCT/SSL Security Provider (Export Version)" is the description.

  For the 128-bit version of the Schannel.dll file, "PCT/SSL Security Provider (US and Canada Use Only)" is the description.

  Note that the version number of the Schannel.dll file is the same for 40-bit, SGC, and 128-bit versions; only the file description is different.

  For additional information about the SGC version of the Schannel.dll file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q148427
        TITLE:      Server Gated Cryptography (SGC) Update for IIS
  
     For information about how Internet Explorer 4.0 updates the
     Schannel.dll file, please see the following article in the Microsoft
     Knowledge Base:
  
        ARTICLE-ID: Q174494
        TITLE:      Internet Explorer 4.0 Setup Updates 128-Bit Encryption
  
  

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

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

   http://www.microsoft.com/ie/

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
   -----------------------
   2.0           2.0
   2.01          2.1
   2.1           3.0
   3.0           3.0a
   3.0a          3.01a
   3.01          4.0
   3.02a

Internet Explorer for UNIX on Sun Solaris

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

1. At the Terminal window, type the path to the installed Internet Explorer files. The default path is /usr/local/microsoft/.

2. At the prompt, type "cd /user/local/microsoft/ie4/sunos" (without quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

3. Type "ls -i libschannel.so." (without quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

4. Compare the file information to the following chart to determine the version of Internet Explorer that is currently installed on your computer.

   Version         Size       Product
   

4.71.1410.4     227,564    Internet Explorer 4.01 40-bit
4.71.1410.4     227,656    Internet Explorer 4.01 128-bit