Run Internet Explorer so you can use ActiveX on Macs

Nov 24, 2015 14:36 GMT  ·  By

The last official Internet Explorer for Mac is no longer functional since the release of OS X 10.7 (Lion) and is discontinued since 2005, but we have a fix!

Now you can run the latest version of Internet Explorer on Macs using virtualization. For those of you requiring Internet Explorer to run ActiveX Controls on the Mac, this is the perfect solution.

To do this, you'll need VirtualBox, the free-to-download and free-to-use virtualization software which allows you to run Windows and other “guest” operating systems on a Mac “host.”

VirtualBox makes it possible to run Windows applications on a Mac, which means Internet Explorer can become a Mac application if you take the necessary steps. Just follow our step by step tutorial.

How to run Internet Explorer on a Mac

Step 1. Download Oracle VirtualBox for Mac and Extension Pack. Install VirtualBox and after that, double click on the Extension Pack and follow the instructions.

Step 2. Run once VirtualBox Manager and then close it. This is necessary so that the system records certain pieces of information, making it possible for the following steps to work properly.

Step 3. Launch Terminal and paste one of the following commands, depending on which version of IE you'd like to install.

If your machine is not new or powerful, I recommend installing Internet Explorer 8. This will install Windows XP Virtual Machine. XP is old and unsupported, but it's perfect to use in a Virtual Machine on punctual occasions.

Internet Explorer 11 Only - Windows 7 image

code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | IEVMS_VERSIONS="11" bash
Internet Explorer 10 Only
code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | IEVMS_VERSIONS="10" bash
Internet Explorer 9 Only
code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | IEVMS_VERSIONS="9" bash
Internet Explorer 8 Only - Windows XP, small Image
code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | IEVMS_VERSIONS="8" bash
Internet Explorer 7 Only Windows XP, small Image
code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | IEVMS_VERSIONS="7" bash
Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (will take a while longer, and will occupy a large amount of disk space ~ 50 Gb)
code
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdissent/ievms/master/ievms.sh | bash
Step 4. OS X will ask for your Administrator password. Enter it and wait until all applications are downloaded (it can take up to 2 hours in some cases, so be patient).

Step 5. Run the Windows virtual machine. In case you're prompted to enter a password, password hint from the login screen and launch Internet Explorer.

Step 6. Turn on automatic updates and install updates. This will increase the space used by the virtual machine.

Note: The Windows XP installation is set to expire after 30 days of use. The Windows 7 installation is set to expire after 90 days and can be rearmed 5 times.

If you have storage problems, just run in Terminal this command after the installation.

code
find ~/.ievms -type f ! -name "*.vmdk" -exec rm {} \;
Update 12 May 2014 - URL changes for scripts Update 18 January 2015 - Internet Explorer 11 support

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