Microsoft has announced the availability of the final version of IE11 for the Windows 7 operating system.

Those who are already on Windows 8.1 have been enjoying the RTM version of IE11 since the OS update was released to the general public back in late October so no need for an update on those systems.

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is available worldwide in 95 languages for download today. We will begin automatically updating Windows 7 customers to IE11 in the weeks ahead, starting today with customers running the IE11 Developer and Release Previews. With this final release, IE11 brings the same leading standards support–with improved performance, security, privacy, and reliability that consumers enjoy on Windows 8.1—to Windows 7 customers.

As well as the improved browser coming to Windows 7 there are also benefits for web developers with this new version of Internet Explorer:

  • Debug faster with new F12 developer tools. IE11 supports the latest standards and frameworks actively used by Web developers. Brand new F12 tools in IE enable iterative, visual debugging and tuning of Web sites. Modern.IE enables cross-browser testing, no matter where you choose to develop.
  • Hardware-accelerated 3D Web graphics. Interoperable WebGL experiences run on all devices, taking advantage of GPU acceleration. IE11 scans for unsafe WebGL content and implements a software-based renderer to complement the GPU. With Windows, graphics subsystem failures are not fatal, and WebGL continues to run. With IE11, your 3D experiences can access device orientation to create new interaction opportunities for immersive Web content.
  • The existing Web continues to work – even better: IE11 is interoperable with existing sites, which just run faster and look better in IE. Of course, intranet sites and apps continue to run in IE11, which supports Compatibility View.
  • Enable professional-quality video experiences on the Web. IE11 enables HTML5 video without plugins. IE11 supports the latest standards for closed captioning, streaming that adapts to available network bandwidth, and rights management—so all your video content can be as good as the professionals. Power-efficient video streaming in Windows 8.1 extends battery life for Web video.

If for some reason your organization does not want IE11 to automatically update on your client machines then you can download and use this toolkit to disable automatic delivery of IE11 to those client computers.

Source: IE11 for Windows 7 Globally Available for Consumers and Businesses (IE Blog)