Internet Explorer 8 for Mac

If you are a Mac user but still wish to use Internet Explorer on your computer, then we strongly suggest you get a free download. IE is the default web browser that is provided by Microsoft Windows, and even though it is not the most functional or fastest browser, there are many people who absolutely swear by it even today.

The new Internet Explorer 9 has already been released and it is a complete revamp of the buggy 8. But it is going to take some time for a compatible version to be released for a Mac. In the interim period you can continue using Safari (the default web browser for Macs), or you can get your hands on IE8.

How to Get Internet Explorer 8 on a Mac

The very first thing that you will need to know when you are downloading Internet Explorer for Mac is that you need to download an app known as WineBottler. This is an app that is designed for Mac OS X, and it allows Windows based applications and programs to run on Macs. IE is just one of the many Windows programs that can be made use of on a Mac with the help of WineBottler. Earlier versions of IE could also be used on a Mac with the help of this application, and IE8 is no different.

Once the application has been downloaded and launched by you, you need to click on 'Install Predefined Prefixes'. Then you can select 'Internet Explorer 8.0' from the various options that you see, and then you must click on 'Install'. As you can see, getting IE8 for Mac free of cost is a very simple process. The real question is about why you would want this specific web browser on your Mac anyway.

Internet Explorer 8 Problems

As mentioned before, this is a very buggy web browser released by Windows. There are a number of problems that come with it, and make the browser very slow, and even cause it to freeze from time to time. These are problems that you will undoubtedly face on a Mac as well, so the logic behind getting this browser for Mac does not make sense. IE8 problems are not restricted to any individual computer operating system either. There are many other better web browsers out there that are far more efficient and faster than Internet Explorer 8 and you can consider running one of these on your Mac (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera Mini to name a few).

Safari, which is the default browser on all Apple Computers, is also a pretty good browser and it exceeds the performance of IE8 any day. Our recommendation to you is to forget about running IE8 on a Mac, and get some other web browser instead. Internet Explorer for Mac is something that used to be the default bundle almost 7 years ago, and that was before Safari was developed. So we assume that the only reason you are looking for IE8 for Macs is because you are nostalgic.

Internet Explorer 9 is another option worth exploring as well. Right now the beta version of the browser is available, and the final version will be launched soon. Unfortunately, you cannot use this browser on a Mac just as yet. From all initial reviews and responses, it seems that IE9 is going to be a vast improvement over IE8 and it will solve all its problems and deficiencies.

So if you are still keen to get IE, you must go ahead and install WineBottler on your machine first. In our opinion, you must either wait for Internet Explorer 9 for Mac or you must use the fastest browser from the other types of browsers available. These will be far better options for you.