How to reset Internet Explorer settings

Is browsing always slow in Internet Explorer? Does it frequently stop responding (hang), or stop working (crash)? Do you receive error messages that indicate that Internet Explorer has "encountered a problem and needs to close"? Or that a Visual C++ "runtime error" has occurred in Iexplore.exe?

If so, then you might want to try resetting Internet Explorer. When you reset Internet Explorer settings, all add-ons and customizations are deleted, and you basically start with a fresh version of Internet Explorer. This article helps you reset Internet Explorer.

To have us reset Internet Explorer for you, go to the “Fix it for me” section. If you would rather reset Internet Explorer yourself, see how to do it in the "Show me how to do it" section or go to the “Let me do it myself” section.

To reset Internet Explorer automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.

Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50195

Note This fix does not work in Windows 7. Instead, you can use the Internet Explorer troubleshooters to achieve this automatically.

Note This wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD, and then you can run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Next steps" section.

If you can open Internet Explorer, you can watch this video to learn how to do this. If you cannot open Internet Explorer, try these steps to do it yourself.


Resetting Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8

If you tried the steps in the video, go to the "Next steps" section.

Note This video is temporarily in English only.

If the problem is caused by damaged or incompatible Internet Explorer settings or add-ons, you can usually resolve the problem by resetting Internet Explorer settings.

To use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature from Control Panel, follow these steps:

1. Exit all programs, including Internet Explorer (if it is running).
2. If you use Windows XP, click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
   inetcpl.cpl
   If you use Windows Vista, click Start
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   . Type the following command in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER:
   inetcpl.cpl
   The Internet Options dialog box appears.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click Reset. Then click Reset again.
5. When Internet Explorer finishes resetting the settings, click Close in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box.
6. Start Internet Explorer again.

Now go to the "Next Steps" section.

Internet Explorer for Windows XP and Internet Explorer in Windows Vista have many security improvements that make Internet Explorer less susceptible to spyware and to malware. However, badly written add-ins, even though they might not be spyware or malware, can affect the browsing experience in Internet Explorer. Beginning with Internet Explorer 7 we included a new feature named Reset Internet Explorer Settings. This feature returns Internet Explorer to its basic state, without any add-ins or other browser extensions.

If you have an add-in that is causing problems or if some of your Internet Explorer settings are changed without your knowledge and you cannot start Internet Explorer, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature lets you recover from those situations quickly and easily. When you have started Internet Explorer, you can isolate the problem add-in or find the incorrect setting and resolve the issue.

This article describes how to use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature. It also provides a detailed description of what the feature does, provides information about the feature for network administrators, and provides information about the feature for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and users who brand and distribute Internet Explorer.

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature restores the following items to their default settings:

• Home pages
• Search scopes
• Browsing history
• Form data
• Passwords
• Appearance settings
• Toolbars
• ActiveX controls

Additionally, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature disables all add-ins. However, it does not remove the add-ins.

• For detailed information about the changes that the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature makes on your computer, go to the "How the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature works" section.
• If you are a network administrator and need information about how to use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature in a network environment, go to the "Information about the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature for network administrators" section.
• If you are an OEM or if you brand and distribute Internet Explorer and need information about how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature works with branded software, go to the "Information about the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature for OEMs or users who brand or redistribute Internet Explorer " section.

How the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature works

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature resets the following settings:

• User-defined browser settings
  
  These settings include all the customizations that you can make to Internet Explorer by using the Internet Options dialog box. For example, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature resets security settings, privacy settings, and zone settings for all users on the computer. Any settings that are set by add-ins or toolbars that you downloaded are also reset.
  
  If any settings were created by the OEM before you received the computer, the Restore Internet Explorer Settings feature restores Internet Explorer customizations that were applied by the OEM in the initial package.
  
  Note The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature does not clear the favorites or clear the feeds. The connection settings are also not cleared, because the settings can be used in other programs.
• Extensibility
  
  The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature disables all toolbars, browser extensions, and customizations that you install. To use any of these disabled customizations, you must selectively enable each customization through the Manage Add-ons dialog box.
  
  Note Some toolbars may require that two or more controls are enabled to work correctly. These toolbars have controls for the corresponding Browser Helper Object and toolbar extensions. You can easily use the Manage Add-ons dialog box to enable any disabled controls that are from a trusted publisher.
  
  For Web pages that have ActiveX controls, you must approve running each ActiveX control the first time that you encounter it. After you approve running the control one time, Internet Explorer runs the control automatically any time that you encounter it.
• Browsing history
  
  The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature deletes temporary Internet files and cookies. It also clears the browsing history, saved form data, saved passwords, and auto-complete data.

Information about the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature for network administrators

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature interacts with several group policies, registry keys, and security features that are part of a network environment.

• For general information and advice about how to use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature, go to the "General administrator information" section.
• For information about how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature interacts with Group Policy and how to restore any policies that are lost after the Internet Explorer settings are reset, go to the "Group Policy" section.
• For information about how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature interacts with ActiveX compatibility registry keys, go to the "ActiveX compatibility key" section.
• For information about how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature interacts with the Feature Control registry keys, go to the "Feature Control keys" section.
• For information about how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature interacts with the Enhanced Security Configuration feature, go to the "Enhanced Security Configuration" section.

General administrator information

When you click the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature with administrative credentials, the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry subtree settings are reset. These settings apply to all the users on a specific computer. This affects the browsing experience of users who are using Internet Explorer at the time that the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature is implemented and users who open a new browsing session after the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature is implemented.

If users do not change the settings, Internet Explorer reads those settings from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry subtree, and then the settings are cleaned. However, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature does not touch the settings that users specifically customize.

Therefore, we recommend that you communicate with all affected users before you implement the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature.

If one or more tasks fail when you use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature, an X appears next to the task name in the Progress dialog box. Additionally, the details of failed tasks are logged in the Ried.log log file and the Brndlog.txt log file. You can find these files in this folder:

Group Policy

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature does not affect Group Policy. However, you can also use the Internet Explorer Maintenance Extension in the Group Policy Management Console to apply branding settings. Most of these branding settings are preferences and not policies. Therefore, after you use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature, these settings are lost.

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature restores the preference settings that are created by the Internet Explorer Administration Kit or by the OEM Preinstallation Kit only.

If you used the Internet Explorer Maintenance Extension to configure any policies, the users lose those policies if you run the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature for them. This is because the infrastructure of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit enables the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature to restore branding settings. However, the infrastructure of Internet Explorer Maintenance Extension is not supported, because the .ins files that contain these settings are only temporarily present in the local system.

To work around this problem, you can enable a policy setting to reapply any policies that you first applied through Internet Explorer Maintenance Extension. To create this policy setting, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the computer as a local administrator.
2. Click Start, and then click Run. Copy and then paste (or type) the following command into the Open box, and then press ENTER:
   gpedit.msc
   The Group Policy window appears.
3. In the left navigation pane, expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand System, and then click Group Policy.
4. In the right navigation pane, double-click Internet Explorer Maintenance policy processing.
5. Click Enabled, click Apply, and then click OK.

After you enable this policy setting, any policies that are set through Internet Explorer Maintenance Extension are refreshed when the Group Policy object is updated.

After you use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature, all the policies and restrictions that administrators control on a domain are still respected in Internet Explorer. However, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature does not respect some policies that affect how the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature works when it is in progress.

For example, when you enable the Turn off Delete Browsing History functionality Group Policy, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature clears temporary Internet files. The policy continues to work after you use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature by disabling user interface entry points to the Delete Browsing History dialog box. However, from the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature context, this Group Policy is not in effect.

You can use the Do not allow resetting Internet Explorer settings Group Policy to disable the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature on user computers.

ActiveX compatibility key

The class identifier, or CLSID, in some registry entries that control whether ActiveX controls are loaded onto the computer is flagged to block known, harmful ActiveX controls. These flags are known as kill bits. The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature resets these flags.

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature leaves other CLSIDs as they are. For more information about CLSIDs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:The compatibility kill bits are stored in the following registry subkey: For more information about kill bits, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Feature Control keys

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl registry subkey lets you select certain secure settings that multiple features and applications can use. Additionally, you can use Feature Control keys to selectively opt in to hotfixes. This key is not reset by the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature.

Enhanced Security Configuration

If the Enhanced Security Configuration feature is turned on, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature resets Internet Explorer to the Enhanced Security Configuration feature defaults. If the Enhanced Security Configuration feature is turned off, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature resets Internet Explorer to the standard Internet Explorer defaults. The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature does not change the state of the Enhanced Security Configuration feature. For more information about Enhanced Security Configuration, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Information about the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature for OEMs or users who brand or redistribute Internet Explorer

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature can interact with branded versions of Internet Explorer in several ways. This section does not describe all these interactions. However, this section describes two common interactions. For more information about how the Reset Internet Explorer feature interacts with branded versions of Internet Explorer, go to the "Next Steps" section.

Customizations in branded versions of Internet Explorer

If you are an OEM, an Internet service provider (ISP), or a corporate administrator and you use the OEM Preinstallation Kit or the Internet Explorer Administration Kit to create a customized Internet Explorer package for distribution, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature can change a user’s browsing experience.

For example, if you include a custom component that sets a custom search provider, instead of directly specifying the search provider, the custom component runs after Internet Explorer is installed. Because the custom component uses its own means of installation instead of using the Internet Explorer .ins file, this custom component does not rerun when a user uses the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature. The custom toolbar component is disabled even though the component is part of the original branding from the OEM or branding partner.

Also, if you configure or add custom icons to the command bar, the customizations are lost after a user uses the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature. This is because the customizations are created as browser extensions. Browser extensions are disabled as a part of the behavior of the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature. To re-enable them, the user can use the Manage Add-ons dialog box on the Tools menu.

Upgrading from a branded version of Internet Explorer 6 to a non-branded version of Internet Explorer

When you use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit in corporate mode to create a branded version of Internet Explorer 6, the Install.ins file is created in the Custom folder. When a user upgrades from that branded version of Internet Explorer 6 to a non-branded version of Internet Explorer, the installation program creates a non-branded, default Install.ins file in the Signup folder.

If the user uses the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature, Internet Explorer tries to use the .ins file in the Custom folder first. If no Install.ins file is available in the Custom folder, Internet Explorer looks for an .ins file in the Signup folder. In this case, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature finds the branded version of the Install.ins file, and the customization is retained even after the user uses the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature.

The Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature uses corporate branding if it is available. If the corporate branding is missing, the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature applies ICP branding or OEM branding.

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

• Reset Internet Explorer Settings blog post
  http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/06/12/628499.aspx (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/06/12/628499.aspx)
• Internet Explorer Administration Kit
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/bb219541.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/bb219541.aspx)

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can also use the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find other solutions. Some services that the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site provides include the following:

• Searchable Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1) : Search technical support information and self-help tools for Microsoft products.
• Solution Centers (http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub) : View product-specific frequently asked questions and support highlights.
• Microsoft Customer Support Newsgroups (http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx) : Contact counterparts, peers, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs).
• Other Support Options (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=csshome) : Use the Web to ask a question, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services, or provide feedback.

If you continue to have questions after you use these Microsoft Web sites or if you cannot find a solution on the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site, click the following link to contact support:

For more information about search scopes in Internet Explorer, visit the following Microsoft Web site: