Manage add-ons in Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 10
Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7
Internet Explorer 9
Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 10 is designed to provide an add-on free experience, and will play HTML5 and many Adobe Flash Player videos without needing to install a separate add-on. Add-ons and toolbars will only work in Internet Explorer for the desktop. To view a page that requires add-ons in Internet Explorer, swipe down or right-click to bring up the Address bar, tap or click the Page tools button, and then tap or click View on the desktop.

You can view, enable, and disable the list of add-ons that can be used by Internet Explorer for the desktop. Add-ons you can manage include browser helper objects, ActiveX controls, toolbar extensions, explorer bars, browser extensions, search providers, Accelerators, and Tracking Protection settings.

To manage add-ons

  1. Open Internet Explorer for the desktop.

  2. Tap or click the Tools button, and then tap or click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Show, tap or click All add-ons, and then do one of the following:

    • To disable an add-on, tap or click it, and then tap or click Disable.

    • To enable an add-on, tap or click it, and then tap or click Enable.

  4. Tap or click Close.

Note

Note

  • In Windows RT, add-ons are not supported by Internet Explorer or Internet Explorer for the desktop.

Add-ons are apps that Internet Explorer uses to interact with web content like videos and games. Some common add-ons are Adobe Flash, Quicktime, and Silverlight. Several add-ons come pre-installed in Internet Explorer, but many have to be downloaded from the Internet. Add-ons usually require that you give your permission before they're installed on your computer. However, some might be installed without your knowledge. This can happen if the add-on was part of another program that you installed.

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To see installed add-ons

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Add-on Types, click Toolbars and Extensions.

  4. Under Show, you can select one of the following views of your add-ons:

    • To display a complete list of the add-ons on your computer, click All add-ons.

    • To display only those add-ons that were needed for the current webpage or a recently viewed webpage, click Currently loaded add-ons.

    • To display add-ons that were preapproved by Microsoft, your computer manufacturer, or a service provider, click Run without permission.

  5. When you're finished, click Close.

To turn add-ons on or off

Add-ons can sometimes cause Internet Explorer to run slowly or crash. You can turn specific add-ons on or off if you want to or if you suspect they're causing problems.

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Show, click All add-ons.

  4. Click an add-on, and then do one of the following:

    • To make an add-on available for use in the browser, click Enable.

    • To turn the add-on off so it can't be used in the browser, click Disable.

  5. Repeat step 4 for each add-on that you want to turn on or off. When you're finished, click Close.

    Note

    Note

    • Before you turn off a browser add-on, keep in mind that some webpages, or Internet Explorer itself, might not display properly if an add-on is turned off. We recommend that you only turn off an add-on if it repeatedly causes Internet Explorer to close.

To delete installed ActiveX controls

ActiveX controls are a specific type of add-on. You can only delete ActiveX controls that you've downloaded and installed. You can't delete ActiveX controls that were pre-installed, but you can turn them off.

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. To display all ActiveX controls, under Show, click Downloaded controls.

  4. Click the ActiveX control you want to delete, and then click More information.

  5. In the More information dialog box, click Remove. You might be prompted to enter an administrator password or confirmation.

  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for every control you want to delete. When you're finished, click Close.

You can learn more about ActiveX by reading Use ActiveX filtering.

Several add-ons are pre-installed in Internet Explorer, but many come from the Internet. Add-ons usually require that you give your permission before they're installed on your computer. However, some might be installed without your knowledge. This can happen if the add-on was part of another program that you installed.

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To see installed add-ons

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Add-on Types, click Toolbars and Extensions.

  4. Under Show, you can select one of the following views of your add-ons:

    • To display a complete list of the add-ons on your computer, click All add-ons.

    • To display only those add-ons that were needed for the current webpage or a recently viewed webpage, click Currently loaded add-ons.

    • To display add-ons that were preapproved by Microsoft, your computer manufacturer, or a service provider, click Run without permission.

  5. When you're finished, click Close.

To turn add-ons on or off

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Show, click All add-ons.

  4. Click an add-on, and then do one of the following:

    • To make an add-on available for use in the browser, click Enable.

    • To turn the add-on off so it can't be used in the browser, click Disable.

  5. Repeat step 4 for each add-on that you want to turn on or off. When you're finished, click Close.

    Note

    Note

    • Before you turn off a browser add-on, keep in mind that some webpages, or Internet Explorer itself, might not display properly if an add-on is turned off. We recommend that you only turn off an add-on if it repeatedly causes Internet Explorer to close.

To delete installed ActiveX controls

You can only delete ActiveX controls that you've downloaded and installed. You can't delete ActiveX controls that were pre-installed or add-ons of any kind, but you can turn them off.

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. To display all ActiveX controls, under Show, click Downloaded controls.

  4. Click the ActiveX control you want to delete, and then click More information.

  5. In the More information dialog box, click Remove. You might be prompted to enter an administrator password or confirmation.

  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for every control you want to delete. When you're finished, click Close.

Add-ons, also known as ActiveX controls, browser extensions, browser helper objects, or toolbars, can improve your experience on a website by providing multimedia or interactive content, such as animations. However, some add-ons can cause your computer to stop responding or display content that you don't want, such as pop-up ads.

If you suspect that browser add-ons are affecting your computer, you might want to disable all add-ons to see if that solves the problem.

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To disable all add-ons temporarily

  1. Click the Start button, and then click All Programs.

  2. Click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons).

If disabling all add-ons solves the problem, you might want to use Add-on Manager to disable all add-ons permanently and then turn on add-ons only as you need them. To disable an add-on, follow the steps below.

To disable add-ons in Add-on Manager

  1. Open Internet Explorer.

  2. Click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.

  3. Under Show, click All Add-ons.

  4. Click the add-on you want to disable, and then click Disable.

  5. Repeat step 4 for every add-on you want to disable. When you're finished, click Close.