IE Tab

Google Chrome's versatility and overall balance make it one of the best choices for day-to-day users and developers alike. Be that as it may, when it comes to running some old-school legacy web apps or testing web pages that require ActiveX controls, for example, you might be forced to employ the services provided by Internet Explorer.

With its somewhat self-explanatory name, this is where IE Tab comes into play. In just a few words, IE Tab is a useful Chrome extension that allows you to run websites within an Internet Explorer environment, without having to leave Chrome's window even for a second.

This said, installing this extension can be accomplished with just a simple mouse click from the Chrome Web Store. Once this straightforward process is dealt with, you simply need to input the target web address in Chrome's address bar and click the extension's button.

Please note that, since the extension emulates an Internet Explorer environment, evidently, it requires you to install an IE rendering engine. The first time you try to open a webpage using IE Tab, you will be prompted by a one-time installation steps window.

Basically, you will have to download a little IE Tab Helper (ietabhelper.exe) and launch it, preferably straight from Chrome. It may be necessary to restart Chrome but, other than that, you should now be able to load any type of website (including those that rely on Sharepoint, ActiveX, Silverlight or Java technologies) with the help of this IE emulator.

It's also worth mentioning that, from the extension's web-based Options section, you can create lists of URLs that will be automatically opened in IE Tab, edit SharePoint documents and even change the IE compatibility mode.

You have a wide array of choices for emulating the exact, required IE environment, like IE 7, IE 8, IE 9, IE 10 in both standard or forced modes.

IE Tab is an efficient and unobtrusive Chrome extension that, once set up correctly, can undoubtedly help users who usually work with websites only supported by Internet Explorer by allowing them to effortlessly do so directly within Chrome's interface.