Web Browser Support for SharePoint Server 2016
The following browsers are officially supported by Microsoft in SharePoint Server 2016. However, the word “supported” requires clarification.
| Browser | Supported | Not Supported |
| Microsoft Edge | X | |
| Internet Explorer 11 | X | |
| Internet Explorer 10 | X | |
| Internet Explorer 9 | X | |
| Internet Explorer 8 | X | |
| Internet Explorer 7 | X | |
| Internet Explorer 6 | X | |
| Google Chrome (latest version) | X | |
| Mozilla Firefox (latest version plus immediate previous version) | X | |
| Apple Safari (latest released version) | X |
SharePoint Server 2016, like its predecessors, requires Active X controls for several features and without Active X support some features won’t work properly. Therefore, any browser that doesn’t support Active X is not fully supported. The following browsers don’t support Active X and are therefore not fully supported.
- All 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer
- Microsoft Edge
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Apple Safari
My Recommendation
I recommend using only 32-bit Internet Explorer 11 (and newer versions as they become available) to ensure full functionality in SharePoint Server 2016. That’s not to say that the browsers listed in the table above, such as Firefox and Chrome won’t work with SharePoint Server 2016 at all, it’s just that it will confuse the users why some features won’t work in these so-called “supported” browsers and they won’t remember to switch to a fully supported browser for certain features.
Here’s how I would define what’s fully supported, what’s partially supported, and what’s not supported at all.
| Browser | Fully Supported | Partially Supported | Not Supported |
| Microsoft Edge (32-bit) |
X (No Active-X support) |
Microsoft Edge (64-bit version) |
|
| Internet Explorer 11 (32-bit) | X | Internet Explorer 11 (64-bit version) |
|
| Internet Explorer 10 (32-bit) |
X (immersive mode not supported) |
Internet Explorer 10 (64-bit version) |
|
| Internet Explorer 9 | X | ||
| Internet Explorer 8 | X | ||
| Internet Explorer | X | ||
| Internet Explorer 6 | X | ||
| Google Chrome (latest version) | X (No Active-X support) |
||
| Mozilla Firefox (latest version plus immediate previous version) | X (No Active-X support) |
||
| Apple Safari (latest released version) | X (No Active-X support) |
The Immersive Mode was designed for tablets, phones, and touch user interface. According to Microsoft, here are the limitations of the browsers that are partially supported (Internet Explorer 10 immersive mode, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge).
| Plugin name | DLL file name | What it does | Supported browser version | Known limitations |
| Digital Signature | Dsigctrl.dll, dsigres.dll | Digital signing takes place in both the InfoPath client and on the InfoPath Forms Services server. Make sure that the following conditions exist:
|
Internet Explorer 10 | An inability to verify a form produces an error that states that the form cannot be signed. |
| NameCtrl | Name.dll | Enables a webpage to display a contact card and presence status for people. Integrates through client-side APIs with Office 2016. | Supported in Internet Explorer 10 and Microsoft Edge.
Internet Explorer version 10 immersive mode is not supported. |
|
| TaskLauncher | Nameext.dll | Used to export items in a task list to Project Server if Project 2010 is installed on the client computer. | All browsers | If software requirements are not met, an error message states that you need to install Project Server. |
| SpreadSheetLauncher | Owssupp.dll | Used to verify whether Excel is installed for Export to Excel feature. | Internet Explorer 10 | If Excel is not installed, an error message states that a list cannot be imported because a compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with the browser. |
| StssyncHandler | Owssupp.dll | Enables synchronization of lists of events and lists of contacts in SharePoint with a messaging application such as Outlook 2016. | Internet Explorer 10 | |
| ExportDatabase | Owssupp.dll | Enables a user to use an application such as Access to create or open a database that contains SharePoint list data. | Internet Explorer 10 | To export a list, the client computer must have a SharePoint compatible application. |
| OpenDocuments | Owssupp.dll | Starts Office client applications so that a user can create a or edit a document. Enables users to create documents that are based on a specified template, open documents as read-only, or open documents as read/write. | All except Internet Explorer version 10 in immersive mode. | If a compatible Office application or browser is not installed on a client, an error message states that the feature requires a SharePoint compatible application and web browser. |
| CopyCtl | Stsupld.dll | Enables a user to copy a document on a SharePoint site to one or more locations on a server. | Internet Explorer 10 | In Firefox, Google Chrome, and immersive mode of Internet Explorer version 10, the copy progress dialog box is not displayed. |
| PPActiveX | PPSLAX.dll | Starts PowerPoint to open presentations from a slide library or publish individual slides to a slide library. | Internet Explorer 10 | Does not work on Click-to-Run installations of Office and version of Office that run on Windows for ARM. |
| BCSLauncher | BCSLaunch.dll | Starts the Visual Studio Tools for Office installer to install a Visual Studio Tools for Office package that has been generated on the server. | Internet Explorer 10 |
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