San Francisco - Google Chrome has been crowned the top internet browser, officially ending the long reign of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE).
NetMarketShare calculated the Chrome had 41.7% of desktop browser share in April, narrowly topping the 41.4% share for IE. Mozilla's Firefox browser was third with 9.7%, according to the market tracker.
A second market tracker, StatCounter, had given the title to Chrome four years ago and gave Google's software for browsing the internet an even bigger lead over IE in April.
A graph posted online at netmarketshare.com showed a Chrome use trend line rising while a line for IE sloped downward.
When it came to using browser software to access the internet from mobile devices, Chrome commanded slightly more than 49% of the market, according to NetMarketShare.
The results came as Google faces regulatory scrutiny, particularly in Europe, over its dominant position in internet lifestyles and as Microsoft was pursuing a shift to business and cloud computing services.
Microsoft fielded new Edge browser software synched to its latest-generation Windows 10 operating system and incorporating its Cortana virtual assistant capabilities to win users.
Microsoft in April reported a 25% plunge in quarterly profits as the company navigated away from its role as a software seller to a services model.