Change security and privacy settings in Internet Explorer

Privacy settings

By adjusting Internet Explorer's privacy settings, you can affect how websites monitor your online activity. You can decide which cookies are stored, how and when sites can use your location info, and block unwanted pop-ups.

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Privacy settings

Here's how to customize your privacy settings:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, do one or more of the following:
- To set what types of cookies are blocked or allowed, move the slider. For more info about cookies, see Delete and manage cookies in Internet Explorer.
- To block or allow specific websites, tap or click Sites.
- To import a Privacy Preferences file, tap or click Import.
- To override your privacy settings for certain types of cookies, tap or click Advanced.
- To reset privacy settings to their original level, tap or click Default.
When you're done making changes, tap or click OK.

Location Services

Location Services lets sites ask for your physical location in order to improve your experience. For example, a mapping site can request your physical location in order to center the map for you. Internet Explorer will let you know when a site wants to use your location. When this happens, tap or click Allow once to let a site use your location just one time. If you want the site to use your location each time you visit, tap or click Always allow.

To turn off Location Services

If you don't want sites to ask for your physical location, you can turn off Location Services. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer, swipe in from the right edge of the screen (if you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen and move the mouse pointer down), and then tap or click Settings.
Tap or click Internet Options, and under Permissions, turn Ask for location to Off.

Pop-up Blocker

Pop-up Blocker limits or blocks pop-ups on sites that you visit. You can choose the level of blocking you prefer, turn on or off notifications when pop-ups are blocked, or create a list of sites that you don't want to block pop-ups on. Pop-up Blocker settings only apply to Internet Explorer for the desktop.

Turn Pop-up Blocker on or off

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, select or clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then tap or click OK.

Block all pop-ups

Even if you turn pop-up blocker on, Internet Explorer won't block pop-ups from sites that are in the Local intranet or Trusted sites security zones. If you want to block all pop-ups—including pop-ups on Local intranet or Trusted sites—you'll have to change the blocking level. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, set the blocking level to High: Block all pop-ups (Ctrl + Alt to override).
Tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

Turn off notifications when pop-ups are blocked

You can turn off notifications if you don't want Internet Explorer to let you know every time it blocks a pop-up. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, clear the Show Notification bar when a pop-up is blocked check box.
Tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

Change Pop-up Blocker settings

You choose to have pop-ups will appear only on the sites you want them to. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-Up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
Make any changes you would like, tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

InPrivate Browsing

Browsers store some info—like your search history—to help improve your experience on the web. When you use InPrivate Browsing, info like passwords, search history, and page history is deleted once you close the tab.

If you want to keep add–ons from monitoring your browsing activity after you turn on InPrivate Browsing, do this:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Browsing starts check box.
Tap or click OK.

Security zones

By changing the security settings, you can customize how Internet Explorer helps protect your PC from potentially harmful or malicious web content. Internet Explorer automatically assigns all websites to a security zone: Internet, Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites. Each zone has a different default security level that determines what kind of content might be blocked for that site. Depending on the security level of a site, some content might be blocked until you choose to allow it, ActiveX controls might not run automatically, or you might see warning prompts on certain sites. You can customize the settings for each zone to decide how much protection you do or don't want.

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Change your security zone settings

Here's how to customize your security zone settings:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
Tap or click the Security tab to customize your security zone settings in these ways:
- To change settings for any security zone, tap or click the zone icon, and then move the slider to the security level that you want.
- To create your own security settings for a zone, tap or click the zone icon, and then tap or click Custom level.
- To restore all security levels to their original settings, tap or click the Reset all zones to default level button.

Changes you make to security settings in the will affect both Internet Explorer and Internet Explorer for the desktop.

Add or remove a site from a security zone

To add or remove a site from a security zone:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Security tab, choose a security zone (Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites), and then tap or click Sites. You can add sites to the zone you chose, or delete sites that you no longer want in this zone.
If you chose Local intranet in the previous step, tap or click Advanced, and then do one of the following:
- Add a site—enter a URL into the Add this website to the zone box, and then tap or click Add.
- Remove a site—under Websites, select the URL you want to remove, and then tap or click Remove.

Turn on Enhanced Protected Mode

Enhanced Protected Mode makes it harder for malware to run in Internet Explorer. It's turned on by default for Internet Explorer 10, but you can turn it on or off in Internet Explorer for the desktop. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Advanced tab, under Security, do one of the following:
- To turn on Enhanced Protected Mode, check the Enable Enhanced Protected Mode check box.
- To turn off Enhanced Protected Mode, clear the Enable Enhanced Protected Mode check box.
Tap or click OK. You'll need to restart your PC before this setting can take effect.

Privacy settings

Show all

Privacy settings

Here's how to customize your privacy settings:

Open Internet Explorer.
Enter Internet options in the search box, and then tap or click Settings.
In the search results, tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, do one or more of the following:
- To set what types of cookies are blocked or allowed, move the slider. For more info about cookies, see Delete and manage cookies in Internet Explorer.
- To block or allow specific websites, tap or click Sites.
- To import a Privacy Preferences file, tap or click Import.
- To override your privacy settings for certain types of cookies, tap or click Advanced.
- To reset privacy settings to their original level, tap or click Default.

Location Services

To turn off Location Services

If you don't want sites to ask for your physical location, you can turn off Location Services. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Never allow websites to request your physical location check box. To block all websites that you've already allowed to find your location, click Clear sites.
Tap or click OK.

Pop-up Blocker

Turn Pop-up Blocker on or off

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, select or clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then tap or click OK.

Block all pop-ups

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, set the blocking level to High: Block all pop-ups (Ctrl + Alt to override).
Tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

Turn off notifications when pop-ups are blocked

You can turn off notifications if you don't want Internet Explorer to let you know every time it blocks a pop-up. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, clear the Show Notification bar when a pop-up is blocked check box.
Tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

Change Pop-up Blocker settings

You choose to have pop-ups will appear only on the sites you want them to. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-Up Blocker, tap or click Settings.
Make any changes you would like, tap or click Close, and then tap or click OK.

InPrivate Browsing

If you want to keep add–ons from monitoring your browsing activity after you turn on InPrivate Browsing, do this:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Browsing starts check box.
Tap or click OK.

Security zones

Show all

Change your security zone settings

Here's how to customize your security zone settings:

Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
Tap or click the Security tab to customize your security zone settings in these ways:
- To change settings for any security zone, tap or click the zone icon, and then move the slider to the security level that you want.
- To create your own security settings for a zone, tap or click the zone icon, and then tap or click Custom level.
- To restore all security levels to their original settings, tap or click the Reset all zones to default level button.

Add or remove a site from a security zone

To add or remove a site from a security zone:

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Security tab, choose a security zone (Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites), and then tap or click Sites. You can add sites to the zone you chose, or delete sites that you no longer want in this zone.
If you chose Local intranet in the previous step, tap or click Advanced, and then do one of the following:
- Add a site—enter a URL into the Add this website to the zone box, and then tap or click Add.
- Remove a site—under Websites, select the URL you want to remove, and then tap or click Remove.

Turn on Enhanced Protected Mode

Enhanced Protected Mode makes it harder for malware to run in Internet Explorer. It's turned on by default for Internet Explorer 10. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Internet options.
On the Advanced tab, under Security, do one of the following:
- To turn on Enhanced Protected Mode, check the Enable Enhanced Protected Mode check box.
- To turn on Enhanced Protected Mode, check the Enable Enhanced Protected Mode check box.
Tap or click OK. You'll need to restart your PC before this setting can take effect.

Privacy settings

By adjusting Windows Internet Explorer's privacy settings, you can affect how websites monitor your online activity. You can decide which cookies are stored, how and when sites can use your location info, and block unwanted pop-ups.

Show all

Privacy settings

Here's how to customize your privacy settings:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, do one or more of the following:
- To set what types of cookies are blocked or allowed, move the slider. For more info about cookies, see Delete and manage cookies in Internet Explorer.
- To block or allow specific websites, click Sites.
- To import a Privacy Preferences file, click Import.
- To override your privacy settings for certain types of cookies, click Advanced.
- To reset privacy settings to their original level, click Default.

Location Services

To turn off Location Services

If you don't want sites to ask for your physical location, you can turn off Location Services. Here's how:

Open Windows Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Never allow websites to request your physical location check box. To block all websites that you've already allowed to find your location, click Clear sites, and then click OK.

Pop-up Blocker

Turn Pop-up Blocker on or off

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, select or clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then click OK.

Block all pop-ups

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, set the blocking level to High: Block all pop-ups (Ctrl + Alt to override).
Click Close, and then click OK.

Turn off notifications when pop-ups are blocked

You can turn off notifications if you don't want Internet Explorer to let you know every time it blocks a pop-up. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, clear the Show Notification bar when a pop-up is blocked check box.
Click Close, and then click OK.

Change Pop-up Blocker settings

You choose to have pop-ups will appear only on the sites you want them to. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button and then click Internet options.
Make any changes you would like, click Close, and then click OK.

InPrivate Browsing

If you want to keep add–ons from monitoring your browsing activity after you turn on InPrivate Browsing, do this:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Browsing starts check box, and then click OK.

Security zones

Show all

Change your security zone settings

Here's how to customize your security zone settings:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
Click the Security tab to customize your security zone settings in these ways:
- To change settings for any security zone, click the zone icon, and then move the slider to the security level that you want.
- To create your own security settings for a zone, click the zone icon, and then click Custom level.
- To restore all security levels to their original settings, click the Reset all zones to default level button.

Add or remove a site from a security zone

To add or remove a site from a security zone:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Security tab, choose a security zone (Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites), and then click Sites. You can add sites to the zone you chose, or delete sites that you no longer want in this zone.
If you chose Local intranet in the previous step, click Advanced, and then do one of the following:
- Add a site—enter a URL into the Add this website to the zone box, and then click Add.
- Remove a site—under Websites, select the URL you want to remove, and then click Remove.

Turn on Protected Mode

Protected Mode makes it harder for malware to run in Internet Explorer. Here's how to turn on Protected Mode:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
On the Security tab, under Security level for this zone, do one of the following:
- To turn on Protected Mode, check the Enable Protected Mode check box.
- To turn on Protected Mode, check the Enable Protected Mode check box.
Click OK. You'll need to restart your PC before this setting can take effect.

Privacy settings

Show all

Privacy settings

Here's how to customize your privacy settings:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Privacy tab, do one or more of the following:
- To set what types of cookies are blocked or allowed, move the slider. For more info about cookies, see Delete and manage cookies in Internet Explorer.
- To block or allow specific websites, click Sites.
- To import a Privacy Preferences file, click Import.
- To override your privacy settings for certain types of cookies, click Advanced.
- To reset privacy settings to their original level, click Default.

Pop-up Blocker

Turn Pop-up Blocker on or off

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, select or clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then click OK.

Block all pop-ups

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, set the blocking level to High: Block all pop-ups (Ctrl + Alt to override).
Click Close, and then click OK.

Turn off notifications when pop-ups are blocked

You can turn off notifications if you don't want Internet Explorer to let you know every time it blocks a pop-up. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, click Settings.
In the Pop-up Blocker settings dialog box, clear the Show Information Bar when a pop-up is blocked check box.
Click Close, and then click OK.

Change Pop-up Blocker settings

You choose to have pop-ups will appear only on the sites you want them to. Here's how:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Settings.
Make any changes you would like, and then click Close.

InPrivate Browsing

If you want to keep add–ons from monitoring your browsing activity after you turn on InPrivate Browsing, do this:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Privacy tab, select the Disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Browsing starts check box, and then click OK.

Security zones

Show all

Change your security zone settings

Here's how to customize your security zone settings:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
Click the Security tab to customize your security zone settings in these ways:
- To change settings for any security zone, click the zone icon, and then move the slider to the security level that you want.
- To create your own security settings for a zone, click the zone icon, and then click Custom level.
- To restore all security levels to their original settings, click the Reset all zones to default level button.

Add or remove a site from a security zone

To add or remove a site from a security zone:

Open Internet Explorer.
Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the Security tab, choose a security zone (Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites), and then click Sites. You can add sites to the zone you chose, or delete sites that you no longer want in this zone.
If you chose Local intranet in the previous step, click Advanced, and then do one of the following:
- Add a site—enter a URL into the Add this website to the zone box, and then click Add.
- Remove a site—under Websites, select the URL you want to remove, and then click Remove.