Migrating from Maxthon Standard [DISCONTINUED]: A Quick Guide

Maxthon Standard [DISCONTINUED]: What Happened and What to Use NowMaxthon Standard was once a niche but devoted web browser known for its lightweight footprint, cloud-sync features, and old-school dual-engine approach. Over time, however, development slowed and the project was eventually discontinued. This article explains what happened to Maxthon Standard, why it was discontinued, the implications for users, and practical recommendations for safe migration to modern alternatives.

A brief history of Maxthon Standard

Maxthon began in the early 2000s (originally known as MyIE2) as a feature-rich alternative to mainstream browsers. It gained a small, loyal following by offering integrated tools such as ad-blocking, cloud bookmarks, split-screen browsing, and a customizable interface. Maxthon’s “dual engine” strategy—supporting both the Trident engine (from Internet Explorer) and later WebKit/Blink—helped it render a wide range of legacy and modern websites.

Maxthon Standard was the mainstream desktop edition aimed at users who wanted a fast, no-frills browsing experience with several added conveniences. For a time, Maxthon positioned itself as a privacy- and feature-focused alternative to Chrome and Firefox.

Why Maxthon Standard was discontinued

Several intersecting factors contributed to the discontinuation of Maxthon Standard:

• Market consolidation: Browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox captured dominant market shares. Competing against these giant ecosystems—each backed by substantial engineering resources—became increasingly difficult.

• Engine standardization and maintenance costs: The web has converged around Chromium’s Blink engine and the evergreen release model. Maintaining compatibility, security patches, and performance parity required heavy, continuous investment. Smaller projects struggled to keep pace.

• Business decisions and shifting priorities: Companies behind smaller browsers often pivot their strategies, focus on mobile or proprietary services, or consolidate products. Over time, active development and official support for Maxthon Standard ceased, and the project was formally marked as discontinued.

• Security and trust concerns: When updates stop, software becomes increasingly risky to use. Without regular patching, known vulnerabilities remain exploitable, further discouraging new users and prompting existing users to migrate.

What “discontinued” means for users

• No more official updates or security patches. Any newly discovered vulnerabilities will remain unpatched by the vendor.
• No official support channels. Troubleshooting or account-related help from the vendor is unlikely.
• Increasing compatibility issues. As websites and web standards evolve, an unmaintained browser will render some pages incorrectly or fail to run modern web apps.
• Potential privacy and security risks. Stale browsers can expose users to tracking, injection, or remote code-execution vulnerabilities.

If you’re still using Maxthon Standard, it’s prudent to stop relying on it for sensitive tasks such as online banking, password entry, or handling private data.

How to safely migrate — quick checklist

• Export bookmarks, saved passwords, and other browser data.
• Choose a modern, actively maintained browser that matches your priorities (privacy, extensions, speed).
• Import your data into the new browser and verify saved passwords and bookmarks.
• Uninstall Maxthon Standard after confirming successful migration, or keep it offline for archival purposes only.
• Change passwords for critical accounts if you used them in the old browser and are concerned about exposures.

Suggested modern alternatives (by category)

• Privacy-focused:

  • Brave — built on Chromium, blocks trackers and ads by default.
  • Mozilla Firefox — strong privacy tools and open-source community governance.

• Performance and compatibility:

  • Google Chrome — best compatibility with web apps, fast updates.
  • Microsoft Edge (Chromium) — fast, well-integrated with Windows and good compatibility.

• Lightweight or minimal:

  • Vivaldi — highly customizable; can be tuned down for performance.
  • Opera — light features with integrated VPN and ad-blocking.

How to export/import common browser data

Bookmarks:

• Export: In Maxthon, go to Bookmarks > Manage > Export (choose HTML).
• Import: In Chrome/Firefox/Edge, open Bookmarks manager and choose Import from HTML.

Passwords:

• If Maxthon allows password export, export to a CSV (secure the file).
• Import: Chrome and Edge can import passwords via the Password Manager (sometimes requires enabling an experimental flag). Consider using a dedicated password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass) for secure transfer.

Extensions:

• Identify similar extensions in your new browser’s extension store. Many Chrome extensions work in Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi.

Notes:

• Cloud-synced notes or reading lists may require manual export or copying.

Recommended migration path (example)

1. Install the new browser (e.g., Firefox or Brave).
2. Export bookmarks from Maxthon to an HTML file.
3. Export passwords from Maxthon if possible; otherwise sign into each site and enable password saving in the new browser or a password manager.
4. Import bookmarks into the new browser.
5. Install privacy/security extensions you used previously (ad-blocker, tracker blocker, password manager).
6. Test important websites and reconfigure settings (homepage, search engine, sync).
7. Uninstall Maxthon Standard or keep it disconnected from the internet for legacy access only.

Security considerations after migration

• Revoke any saved sessions or API tokens if you used web services within Maxthon.
• Run an antivirus scan if you suspect old browser was compromised.
• Enable two-factor authentication on critical accounts.

Final thoughts

Using a discontinued browser like Maxthon Standard increases security and compatibility risks. Migrating to a modern, actively developed browser protects your data and delivers better web experiences. Choose an alternative based on whether your priorities are privacy (Firefox, Brave), maximum compatibility (Chrome, Edge), or customization (Vivaldi).

If you want, I can:

• Provide step-by-step export/import instructions tailored to your OS.
• Recommend browser extensions that match features you liked in Maxthon.