The infamous Internet Explorer browser is coming to the end of its life, Microsoft has confirmed.

It's clear Microsoft is increasingly keen to move users to its new minimalist, touch-focused web browser, Edge.

The redesigned browser – the default on Windows 10 – includes a distraction-free reading mode, the ability to annotate on webpages and deep integration with the US firm's pre-emptive voice assistant, Cortana.

As the Redmond firm focuses on this new Windows 10 app, it has decided to drop support for the vast majority of Internet Explorer users

Users should upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer to ensure they are always up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates.

The announcement was made on the Microsoft support pages, " "Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates.

"Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10."

Millions of people across the globe are still using older versions of Internet Explorer – leaving them open to attacks from hackers and cybercriminals.

But despite the latest Microsoft browser being set as the default in Windows 10, users have turned their back on the new software.

According to data from San Francisco-based firm Quantcast, Google Chrome accounts for a staggering 70 per cent of all browser activity on Windows 10 machines.

The news comes after search firm Google announced it too will end support for its hugely popular Chrome browser on some older operating systems by April 2016.

Windows Vista, Windows XP, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will no longer be supported.

The April 2016 deadline is actually an extension to the lifecycle of Google Chrome on Windows XP.

Google announced in October 2013 that support for Chrome on XP would end by April 2015, before pushing that deadline back to December 2015.

To ensure you are running the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the official Microsoft website and hit download.