Basic Microsoft Internet Explorer troubleshooting

Follow these steps to troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer 8.0 users

If you're running Internet Explorer 8.0 or later and see the Compatibility View icon, which looks like a broken page next to the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) bar, click this icon. Some pages may not work properly unless the compatibility mode is enabled.

All Internet Explorer users

1. Try pressing F5 to refresh the problem page.
2. Close all but one Internet Explorer window.
3. Clear your Internet browser history.

• How to clear Internet Explorer history.

4. Clear any "Unknown" or "Damaged" downloaded programs by clicking the Tools menu, select Internet Options, click the Settings button, and click the View Objects button. Select each of the programs that are damaged or unknown, and press Delete. If you're unable to delete an object, it may be part of an add-on. Step 6 gives additional information about disabling and deleting add-ons.
5. Click the Tools menu and select Internet Options to verify your Security settings are set to Medium at the most. Some web pages may not function properly if the security settings are set too high.
6. Restore defaults for advanced Internet options by opening the Tools menu, select Internet Options, click the Advanced tab, and click the Restore Defaults or Restore advanced settings button. If Internet Explorer appears unstable or having problems with multiple webpages, you can also try clicking the Reset button to fully reset Internet Explorer settings.
7. Disable or uninstall all Internet Explorer add-ons. To do this, click the Tools menu, select Internet Options, click the Programs tab, and then click the Manage add-ons button. In the Manage add-ons window, highlight each of the add-ons and select Disable. If the add-on is something you want to delete, click the Delete button. Not all add-ons can be deleted. If the add-on is a toolbar, these and other add-ons are usually deleted through Add/Remove programs utility.
8. Close Internet Explorer, then open one Internet Explorer window and try again.
9. If the issue persists, make sure your Internet Explorer has not been hijacked.

• How to prevent or fix a web browser being hijacked.

10. Make sure you have all the latest Windows Updates installed.

• How to update a Microsoft Windows computer.

11. If you have any third-party popup blockers installed on the computer, try disabling the popup blocker or uninstalling the popup blocker. Some popup blocker programs can cause additional issues with the browser.
12. Make sure you have all the latest versions of plug-ins installed in Internet Explorer.

• View your system information, including installed plug-ins.

13. If the above recommendations do not resolve your issue, but the issue has recently started occurring, you can also recover Windows back to an earlier date.

• How to restore Windows to an earlier copy.

14. Try uninstalling and reinstalling Internet Explorer.

• How to uninstall and reinstall Internet Explorer.

15. Finally, if you continue to have issues, consider trying an alternate browser to make sure the issue is not with the web page. Our suggestion would be to try Firefox or Google Chrome.