Internet Explorer stops responding, stops working, or restarts

Introduction | Your environment | Symptoms | Method 3
Method 3 Reset all Internet Explorer settings
3 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. When you reset Internet Explorer settings, all add-ons and customizations are deleted, and you basically start with a fresh version of Internet Explorer.
Benefits of this method
  • By removing browser customizations, you can improve the performance of Internet Explorer.
Drawbacks of this method
  • Unfortunately, this method might not work. But if it does not work, we will give you instructions to guide you on to your next steps.
  • All your customized settings in Internet Explorer will be deleted, and all add-ons will be disabled.
This method is rated:
  • Easy
  • Estimated time: 10 to 45 minutes

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

To reset all Internet Explorer settings, follow these steps.
Step 1 Open Internet Options.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run
    2. .
  2. Type Inetcpl.cpl, and then press ENTER. The Internet Options dialog box opens.
Step 2 Reset Internet Explorer settings.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.



    2. After you click Reset, a Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box appears that asks you to confirm the following:
    Are you sure you want to reset all Internet Explorer settings?
    Note You might receive the following message instead:
    Before you can reset Internet Explorer settings, you must first close all other open windows and programs.
    If you receive this message, click OK, and then close all Internet Explorer windows except for the window that you are using to view this content. Then, repeat this step.

  2. Click Reset to confirm that you want to reset all Internet Explorer settings.
  3. After Internet Explorer finishes restoring the settings, click Close.
Step 3 Close the Internet Options dialog box, and then restart Internet Explorer.

    Important This step will ask you to restart Internet Explorer. When you restart Internet Explorer, the content that you are now viewing will no longer be displayed. So, before you continue, you might find it helpful to create a shortcut to this Web page on your desktop so that you can easily return to this page by double-clicking the shortcut. To create a shortcut to this Web page on your desktop, follow these steps:

    1. Right-click this page, and then click Create Shortcut.
    2. In the Internet Explorer dialog box, click Yes to create a shortcut on your desktop.


      3. To close the Internet Options dialog box and restart Internet Explorer, follow these steps:
      1. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.
      2. Close all open Internet Explorer windows, and then restart Internet Explorer.
Verification Method 3 verification and next steps

    After you have reset all Internet Explorer settings, check whether the Internet Explorer problem is resolved. If you know that this problem occurred by visiting a particular Web page or by following certain steps, try that now to see whether the problem still occurs. If the problem occurred intermittently, you might have to use Internet Explorer for several days before you can determine whether the problem is resolved.

If this method worked

If this method did not work

Last Review : September 7, 2011