How to Reset IE Security Settings to Default Levels
Follow these steps to reset all Internet Explorer security settings back to their default levels. You can now close and then reopen Internet Explorer. Try again to visit the websites that were causing your problems to see if resetting the Internet Explorer security settings on your computer helped. If you’re using an older version of Internet Explorer (here’s how to tell), choose the Tools menu and then Internet Options.
What Are Internet Explorer Security Settings?
Internet Explorer has a number of security options that you can customize, allowing you to get very specific on what sorts of actions you allow websites to take on your browser and computer. If you’ve made several changes to IE security settings and then have problems browsing websites, it can be difficult to determine what caused what. Worse yet, some software installations and updates from Microsoft can make security changes without your permission. Fortunately, it’s very easy to take things back to default.
Tips & More Information
Another way to open Internet Options without even having to open Internet Explorer is to use the inetcpl.cpl command (it’s called Internet Properties when you open it this way). This can be entered in the Command Prompt or the Run dialog box to quickly open Internet Options. It works no matter which version of Internet Explorer you’re using. A third option for opening Internet Options, which is actually what the inetcpl.cpl command is short for, is to use Control Panel, via the Internet Options applet. See our guide on how to open Control Panel if you want to go that route.
