diff --git a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.es6.js b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.es6.js
index 3ced334c3a..afa75d11bd 100644
--- a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.es6.js
+++ b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.es6.js
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@
  */
 /* global CKEditor5 */
 ((Drupal, debounce, CKEditor5, $, once) => {
+  // CKEditor 5 is incompatible with IE11. When IE11 is detected, the CKEditor5
+  // variable is null. In those instances, exit early since CKEditor 5 is not
+  // loaded.
+  if (!CKEditor5) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   /**
    * The CKEDITOR instances.
    *
diff --git a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.js b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.js
index 81a94cd2f3..29e8f0adb4 100644
--- a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.js
+++ b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.js
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ function _arrayWithoutHoles(arr) { if (Array.isArray(arr)) return _arrayLikeToAr
 function _arrayLikeToArray(arr, len) { if (len == null || len > arr.length) len = arr.length; for (var i = 0, arr2 = new Array(len); i < len; i++) { arr2[i] = arr[i]; } return arr2; }
 
 (function (Drupal, debounce, CKEditor5, $, once) {
+  if (!CKEditor5) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   Drupal.CKEditor5Instances = new Map();
   var callbacks = new Map();
   var required = new Set();
diff --git a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.es6.js b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.es6.js
index c28a16a35a..6879f077a0 100644
--- a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.es6.js
+++ b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.es6.js
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@
   // created. Features such as Quick Edit that require the presence of a
   // Drupal.editors.ckeditor5, even for fields that do not use CKEditor 5.
   if (isIE11) {
+    // Explicitly set the global CKEditor5 object to null. This ensures code
+    // expecting the existence of the object does not fail, but is easily
+    // distinguishable from a valid CKEditor5 object.
+    window.CKEditor5 = null;
+
     // This will reference a MutationObserver used by several functions in
     // Drupal.editors.ckeditor5. It is declared here and not the editor object
     // in order to work with IE11 object scope.
diff --git a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.js b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.js
index 2dbf1ff204..ad8988ffc0 100644
--- a/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.js
+++ b/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ie11.user.warnings.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
   var isIE11 = Modernizr.mq('(-ms-high-contrast: active), (-ms-high-contrast: none)');
 
   if (isIE11) {
+    window.CKEditor5 = null;
     var quickEditLabelObserver = null;
     Drupal.editors.ckeditor5 = {
       attach: function attach(element) {