Can You Have Both Mozilla Firefox and Windows Internet Explorer?
Internet Explorer is automatically installed on a computer running Microsoft Windows. However, you can download browsers like Mozilla Firefox to use in addition to or to replace your default browser if you wish to use themes or plugins that Internet Explorer may not support.
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Background
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Internet Explorer is Microsoft's Web browser that is installed by default with the Microsoft Windows operating system. You may also have downloaded a new version of Internet Explorer to upgrade your browser if the most recent version did not come with your computer. Mozilla's Firefox is an alternative to Internet Explorer that you can download for free on Windows, Mac and Linux-based computers.
Simultaneous Usage
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You can install Firefox, or other Windows-compatible browsers, to any Windows computer that already has Internet Explorer. Windows will allow you to set one of the browsers as your default browser. Typically, you will see an option to set a browser as default during installation or the first run of the program. In addition, you can even run instances of both browsers simultaneously.
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Considerations
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Although you can install multiple browsers on the same computer, you can only set one browser as your default browser to open links, Web page files and other Web applications. You'll have to manually open specific files in your desired browser or change specific file associations to open with your preferred browser. If you use Firefox as your default browser, you can install a plugin such as "IE Tab" to change the tab to use Internet Explorer's settings and engine, rather than Firefox's engine.
Misconceptions
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Microsoft's browser has a similar name to the graphical user interface and shell that allow you to browse files on your computer. However, Internet Explorer isn't the same as Windows Explorer. Therefore, you can uninstall Internet Explorer from your computer if you don't wish to use the browser on your computer. Note that uninstalling Internet Explorer can prevent Windows from downloading updates. In addition, websites that use technology such as ActiveX require Internet Explorer in order to properly display. Other applications, such as anti-virus programs, rely on Internet Explorer. Thus, they may malfunction if you uninstall the program.
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