Following the currently popular trend of expanding and adding functionality to browsers, Internet Explorer 9 does not lag behind its competitors and has its own system of add-ons that allow you to add the implementation of functions necessary for the user.
Enable/disable add-ons
To open the add-on management window, you need to click the gear in the main Internet Explorer window and select Add-ons.
Figure 1 - Calling add-ons from the main window of Internet Explorer 9.
Firstly, you need to enable the display of all add-ons, because By default, only those currently downloaded are displayed. This way we will get a complete picture of the software installed in Internet Explorer 9.
Figure 2 - Changing the rules for displaying add-ons.
Each add-in has a specific set of parameters (Name, Application, Version, Startup time, etc.), called up by right-clicking ( RMB - Columns). There are also various sorting modes in the context menu.
Let's try to figure out how to manage Internet Explorer add-ons. Many applications (without even asking us) install their add-ons in Internet Explorer, after which errors in the browser may appear, pages may not display correctly, etc. Accordingly, any add-on can be disabled/enabled in the context menu.
Figure 3 - Managing Internet Explorer 9 add-ons.
By pressing More details You can view comprehensive information about the add-on. There you can also allow the add-in to run on all nodes, or delete the list of nodes so that you can later make decisions about running the add-in on each node independently.
Figure 4 - Detailed information about the add-on.
You can also enable the add-on’s access to all websites in the browser message bar (by clicking on the arrow, a drop-down menu item will appear Allow on all nodes).
Removing add-ons
If you don’t use the add-on, you can naturally remove it. ActiveX add-ons can be removed directly from the window More details, using the key Delete(see Figure 4). Add-ons of other types cannot be removed using standard Internet Explorer 9 tools. Therefore, there are 2 ways to remove unnecessary add-ons from Internet Explorer:
- Uninstalling the program with which this add-in was installed (Start - search - uninstall)
- If after uninstalling the program the add-on remains in Internet Explorer, we will use the ToolBarCop utility to remove it.
Let's look at the second method in more detail (since the first involves removal using standard means and should not cause any difficulties). First, download the program from the official download page. We unpack the resulting archive into any folder and get to work (when deleting a program, simply delete the folder in which you unpacked the archive).
Attention! Run the program as administrator (item in the context menu of the executable file).
Figure 5 - Main window of the ToolBarCop program
The main window of the program provides complete information on browser add-ons (Browser Extension, Toolbar, BHO), context menu items (Menu Extension) and startup objects (Run - Startup). With any object, by right-clicking, you can perform three actions: enable, disable and delete. After uninstallation, the program creates a *.reg file in its folder, with which you can restore the deleted add-on.
Important! Before removing any add-on, I strongly recommend checking the item Tools - Enable Backup(the checkbox must be checked), otherwise it will be impossible to roll back the changes.
Add-on optimization
Sometimes during operation, the message “Operation speed can be increased by disabling additional components” is displayed in the status panel. This is a special feature of Internet Explorer 9, which is triggered when, when loading a page, add-ons have increased its loading time by a certain interval (0.2s by default).
Figure 6 - Status bar alert about slow add-ons
In this case, you can either:
- disable this notification completely by selecting from the drop-down list Don't disable
- defer this issue (the browser will not notify you until the page load time exceeds the specified time again)
- disable unnecessary add-ons by clicking Selecting add-ons
Figure 6 - Add-on selection window
In the add-on selection window, you can disable unnecessary or too slow add-ons, or set a different delay time limit for page loading.
Thus, Internet Explorer 9 has a complete set of capabilities to meet user requests for add-on management. The browser's tools allow you to fully control the impact of add-ons on your work, so you can choose the optimal set of add-ons for yourself!
In IE, extensions are called add-ons. There is a special Gallery from which you can download some plugins. How to find her? You can simply follow the link or go through Settings.
In this article, we will also look at what useful extensions there are for Internet Explorer.
How to find the extensions section?
Where are the plugins in Internet Explorer?
1.Click on the gear icon and select “Configure add-ons”.
3.You can also open the link: https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/iegallery. You will be taken to the gallery of add-ons for Internet Explorer. It is not always possible to get to the Gallery through Settings: the system may redirect to an irrelevant site.
6.You may need to restart Internet Explorer to activate some add-ons.
As you can see, the list of available extensions is small. However, you shouldn’t be upset – you can install other add-ons on your standard browser.
How to turn it on?
To enable the plugin, you need to go back to the “Manage Add-ons” window.
- Click on the extension you need, for example, Yandex Elements.
- At the bottom of the window, click on the “Enable” button.
- Click on “Close” to remove the window. Restart your browser.
Enabling and disabling extensions is necessary, for example, when you need to check whether the operation of an add-on is causing the browser to freeze.
Useful additions
There are not many extensions in the Gallery. The user can increase variety by downloading add-ons from specific official sources. Typically, the most popular and useful browser apps have their own websites, but there are exceptions. Let's look at a few add-ons that may be useful to every user.
Adblock Plus
This extension will help you remove annoying ads from pages: various banners, pop-ups and videos. The advantage of the add-on is that it does not collect personal data from the user. This will increase your browser's security level.
How to install it?
- Open IE and follow the link: https://adblockplus.org/ru/internet-explorer. This is an official resource.
- Click on the "Install for Internet Explorer" button.
This is an application for checking text for spelling errors. The plugin recognizes 32 languages. You can add your own words to the dictionary.
The official website of the application for Internet Explorer is located at: http://www.speckie.com/dload. Click on the Download Speckie button.
LastPass
The plugin stores all passwords for your accounts from various sites. If you forget your password, you can easily retrieve it from this manager. Moreover, the application is capable of entering the required passwords into forms itself.
You can download the plugin on the official resource: https://www.lastpass.com/ru.
Click on the red “Get LastPass Free” button. Scroll down and select IE, that is, click on the “Download” button. The site also has a universal add-on installer for all browsers, including IE.
After installation, create an account. Without it, you will not be able to use the add-on.
XMarks
A useful program for synchronizing bookmarks between computers. The app stores lists of all the sites you visit frequently. There is nothing complicated in the program interface. The main thing is to synchronize the data in time to avoid losses.
Visit: https://download.xmarks.com/download/all. Find the file for Internet Explorer and click on the Download XMarks button.
IE7Pro
This extension is considered one of the best for version 7. What does it do? Increases browser performance significantly, blocks almost all types of advertising banners. Smart search is also possible with the application: the results are highlighted. The add-on checks your text for spelling errors and automatically fills out forms. The possibilities don't end there.
The program does not have an official resource, so you will have to download it from third-party, but reliable sources.
FoxyTunes
This is a toolbar for controlling the music player directly from the browser. An indispensable extension for those users who like to always have music playing in the background. So, you don’t need to constantly go to the player to change the song if you surf the Internet. Do this in the browser itself.
The add-on can also search for song lyrics, photos and other data about the artist of the song. The program also does not have its official source. It is usually downloaded from the add-on store, but it is not in the IE Gallery, so you will have to look for it, again on a secure third-party site.
Flash Saver
The application allows you to download Flash animations from websites. Works in many browsers, that is, not only in IE. It also saves regular static images. Pictures can also be downloaded from the cache in the browser. A necessary application for those who like to collect such things.
Google Toolbar
The toolbar allows you to use all Google services. Surfing the Internet is now much easier thanks to such panels. Similar to it is Yandex Elements with Yandex.Bar.
Just download the extension for IE on the official resource: http://toolbar.google.com. Please indicate your location.
IE Reader 1.15
This add-on can easily and quickly open pages in separate windows. Images on pages, certain parts of text, and Flash videos can be launched separately. The application makes it very convenient to read news. Further, all this information can be quickly printed. You need to download the extension from third-party, but trusted sources.
Meta Products Download Express
This is a downloader of various files. Downloading with it can be multi-threaded. He himself adjusts the download speed and can pause it, that is, he exercises control.
The application can be downloaded for free on the official website: http://www.metaproducts.com
All these add-ons expand the capabilities of the standard browser. The IE Gallery itself has a rather meager list of extensions, and since there is no separate extension store for this browser, you need to go to the official resources of specific plugins and download installer versions for IE.
If your browser is slow, it's not necessarily due to a poor internet connection. Third-party toolbars, some add-ons, cookies, or less-than-ideal settings may also hinder your browser's performance.
Here are some simple things you can do to optimize your Internet Explorer browser experience:
More ideas that may be useful:
Removing toolbars
Many toolbars that are downloaded and embedded in the browser affect not only its appearance, but also slow down Internet traffic.
A browser toolbar is an add-on (extension) added to its interface. While some browser add-ons can enhance your online experience and can be very useful, others have negative consequences. They can easily set themselves as default when bundled with widely available free applications, and they sometimes interfere with or conflict with other software on the computer.
Each toolbar has its own specialized functions, such as search, emoji, music player, etc., so they will require additional resources to function.
In order to remove some of the toolbars, you will need to open the list of installed programs (in Windows 7, click Start(Start) > Control Panel(Control Panel) and in the section Programs(Programs) click Uninstalling a program(“Uninstall a program”) - remove programs that you never use).
Right-click each toolbar in the list that you would like to remove and select Delete(Uninstall). Once you complete this process, the toolbars will be completely removed.
Disable toolbars and add-ons directly in the browser
2. Click the button Service(shaped like a gear) in the upper right part of the window, then select Configure add-ons(Manage add-ons).
3. Under the inscription Display(Show) select All add-ons(“All add-ons”).
4. Select each add-on you want to disable and click Disable(Disable).
5. When you're done, close the window and restart your browser.
Delete cookies and clear browser cache
Few people remember to do this, and eventually the hard drive becomes full of large amounts of data stored by the browser for years.
To clear your browser cache:
1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click the button Service(Tools) , hover your mouse over the item Safety(Safety) and select Delete browsing history(Delete browsing history). If you do not want to delete cookies and files from websites in your favorites list, select the checkbox Save data from your favorite websites(Preserve Favorites website data).
3. Check the boxes next to the types of data that you want to delete.
4. Click Delete(Delete).
Resetting your browser settings
Sometimes when you install a program, it may change your browser settings without your knowledge. You may notice that your browser is behaving in some unusual way.
If Internet Explorer stops responding to commands or working in general, if you encounter error messages indicating that Internet Explorer will close, or if you experience slow performance, you may want to reset Internet Explorer settings. To do this, follow the steps below.
1. Launch Internet Explorer.
2. Click the button Service(Tools) then select Browser properties(Internet Options).
3. In the window Browser properties(Internet Options) click the tab Additionally(Advanced).
4. Click Reset(Reset).
5. In dialogue ResetparameterssettingsInternet Explorer click Reset
Check the box Remove personal settings(Delete personal settings) only if you want to simultaneously delete your browsing history, search service settings, Accelerators, home pages, Tracking Protection and ActiveX Filtering data. By checking this box, you are essentially launching a fresh version of Internet Explorer.
6. When Internet Explorer has finished reverting to its default settings, click Close(Close), and then OK.
7. Close Internet Explorer and restart it.
Installing a new version of Internet Explorer
Upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer will make your Internet access faster. In addition, your computer will be more secure, and it is very likely that the problems you were experiencing with your old browser will disappear.
Using the table below you can find out which latest version of Internet Explorer you can use due to the operating system you are using:
To get the latest version of Internet Explorer, follow this link.
Switch to another browser
There are many internet browsers, each slightly different from the others. Some browsers have a lot of features, others are quite simple in this sense. Some work a little better than others. But all Internet browsers basically perform the same function: allow us to browse websites.
The most popular browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera. There are also other, less popular browsers such as RockMelt, Avant Browser, Maxthon, Deepnet Explorer, Flock, SeaMonkey, AOL Explorer, etc.
Switching from one browser to another is in most cases the fastest and easiest way to fix many of the problems we encounter. If the browser is cluttered with toolbars and plugins, if it won't open some websites, or if it takes too long to load content, you can try installing a different one and see if it works better.
To install a new internet browser, you will need to use the one you already have to find and download another one. Simply use a search engine such as Google or Bing to find the browser you want to install and click the download link.
Here are the pages on our website for the most popular browsers that can be used instead of Internet Explorer:
You might also find this guide on how to optimize your browsing speed and performance when using Chrome and Firefox helpful.
Based on materials from the Internet portal. Translation into Russian: Alexander Ryabov
Add-ons in internet explorer provide users with additional features. For example, thanks to them you can install additional tools, download extensions and add-ons. Some add-ons appear along with the system. In addition, they are downloaded from the Internet or are part of an application. As a rule, before installation, the program asks the user for permission to perform this action.
How to enable add-ons
In order to open the add-ons window, first launch the browser. I think you already know where it is in the list of programs. Next, click on the Tools button in the upper corner and select Add-ons. By default, only those add-ons that have just been downloaded are displayed. You can change this by clicking on the button on the left side of the All add-ons screen. After this, the user will see complete information about the installed software.
Each of the add-ons has certain characteristics. The user can view information about the developer, status, installation time, etc. If we talk about how to enable or disable internet explorer add-ons, you can do the actions from the context menu, which drops out after right-clicking on the name.
By clicking on the Learn More link, the user can obtain complete information about the software. Here you can change settings to ensure that the add-in works on all websites or on specific ones. To do this, the resource address should be placed in a special field. If the add-in is always required, click the Allow button on all nodes.
In this section you can enable, disable and remove add-ons. To do this, select the desired element and click on it with the mouse. In the context menu that appears, select Enable or Disable, respectively. Some add-ons can be updated. Sometimes using an outdated version can cause problems.
How to remove add-ons
If the add-on is not used, it can be removed. For ActiveX type elements, this procedure can be done directly in the Details window. There is a special button for this. Other types of add-ons can be removed using additional utilities. So, ToolBarCop is effective in such a situation. This program is convenient because the deleted item will be located in a special application folder. In other words, if necessary, you can always return it.
Another way to remove an add-on is to remove the program with which it was installed. To do this, in the Details window, look at the name of the utility. It will be written in the Publisher column. After that, go to Start, enter the program in the search and delete it. You can find out a more detailed description of this manipulation.
Users may encounter a situation where the browser offers to disable some components in order to load the page faster. In this case, you can ignore the message and click Do not disable in the list that opens. To still deactivate components, click on Select add-ons. Here, next to the component name, there is a Disable button.
As you have seen, internet explorer has a fairly wide range of options for managing add-ons. Thanks to the tools, the user is able to independently control the operation of the add-ons. This is very convenient, as you can optimize the browser, which will make browsing the web more comfortable. In addition, you can always download additional add-ons designed for a particular purpose. For example, elements of the InPrivate type are designed to manage lists of blocked sites.
Plugins are required to enable the browser to perform advanced functions such as playing videos or running Java applications. But what if for some reason they were disabled and now these functions do not work? In this article we will tell you how to enable the plugin after disabling it.
Enabling plugins in Internet Explorer
To enable the plugin in the IE browser, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner (versions 9-11) or open the “Tools” menu (version 8) and select “Configure add-ons” or simply “Add-ons” from the menu that opens. On the left side of the window that appears, in the “Display” list, select the “All add-ons” option. Then highlight the plugin you're interested in and click the "Enable" button in the lower left corner.
In older versions of Internet Explorer, plugins are enabled a little differently. Open the Tools menu and select Manage Add-ons (version 6) or Manage Add-ons > Turn settings on or off (version 7). In the window that appears, select the plugin, select the “Enable” option at the bottom of the window and click “OK”.
How to enable a plugin in Mozilla Firefox
To enable the plugin in Firefox, click the button in the form of three horizontal bars in the upper right corner of the window or expand the “Tools” menu and select “Add-ons”. In the window that appears, open the “Plugins” section. In older versions of the browser, you just need to click the “Enable” button next to the desired plugin, but in new versions it’s more complicated. For some plugins, you can select “Always Enable” from the drop-down list and leave it at that. For others, only the “Enable on request” option is available. In this case, when you visit a page that uses the plugin you want, the browser will ask you if you want to enable it. In response, click the “Allow” button.
If you want to enable an add-on rather than a plugin, go to the “Extensions” section in the same window and click the “Enable” button next to the desired add-on. After this you will need to restart the browser.
Enabling plugins in Google Chrome
To enable a plugin in Chrome, enter chrome://plugins/ in the address bar and click . In the list that opens, click the “Enable” link next to the name of the required plugin. Extensions are enabled differently: click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes in the upper right corner of the browser, select “Tools > Extensions” from the menu, find the extension you need and check the “Enabled” checkbox next to it.
Enable plugins in Yandex Browser
To enable plugins in Yandex Browser, enter browser://plugins in the address bar and click . Find the plugin you need in the list and click the “Enable” link next to it. To enable add-ons, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes in the upper left corner, select “Add-ons” and move the slider next to the desired add-on to the “On” position.
Enabling plugins in Opera
To enable plugins in Opera, enter about:plugins in the address bar and click . A list of installed plugins will open. Click the “Enable” button under the one you want. And to enable an extension, click the “Opera” button in the upper left corner of the window, select “Extensions” and click the “Enable” button under the extension you are interested in.
Enabling plugins in Safari
In the Safari browser, plugins are enabled and disabled all at once. To do this, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the window, select “Settings” and open the “Security” tab in the window that appears. On it, check the “Connect plugins” checkbox. Extensions are enabled in the same window on the “Extensions” tab: just select the one you need and check the “Enable” checkbox.