Reset Internet Explorer

Clear Internet Explorer's cache (Version 9 - 11)

1. Click on the gear icon in the top right
2. Choose Internet Options
3. Click on the Delete button halfway down the page.
4. Choose the Temporary Internet Files and Cookies checkboxes.
5. Click Delete

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Clear Internet Explorer's cache (versions 7 and 8)

Accessing Internet Options

To reset the Browser Settings for Internet Explorer 7 and 8, access the Internet Options dialog:

1. Click Start
2. Then click on Control Panel
3. Open Internet Options

Clear the cache

Temporary Internet files and history

There are minor differences between IE7 and IE8. Internet Explorer 7 will have buttons, and Internet Explorer 8 will have checkboxes. The screenshots shown are for Internet Explorer 8.

Step 1

Steps 2 though 8

1. At the General Tab – Under the heading Browsing History click Delete
2. Uncheck Preserve Favorites website data (IE8 only).
3. Click/Check Delete Files, click Yes to confirm (IE7 only).
4. Click/Check Delete Cookies, click Yes to confirm (IE7 only).
5. Click/Check Delete History, click Yes to confirm (IE7 only).
6. Click/Check Form Data, click Yes to confirm (IE7 only).
7. Check In Private Filtering data (IE8 only).
8. Click Close' if you are using IE7 or 'Delete if you are using IE8.

Check the size of the cache

Prior to Internet Explorer 7, IE allowed you allocate a percentage of disk space for caching 'temporary Internet files' (which was the default). In starting with version 7 Microsoft removed the option for using a percentage. Since high density hard drives have become increasingly inexpensive to manufacture, the percentage of disk space used what generally much larger than needed. During the upgrade process Internet Explorer will change the size of disk space to use for caching to 1024MB (1GB) if the percentage of of disk space was over 1GB. This is still far too large for the general user and Microsoft recommends the amount of disk space used for caching to fall between 50 and 250MB. If your cache size is too large it can cause unexpected problems and result in a slower and less responsive experience.

Step 1

Steps 2 and 3

1. Click Settings
2. Check for newer versions of stored pages should be set to Automatically
3. Ensure that Disk space to use is between the recommended 50MB and 250MB
4. Click OK

Clear the SSL State

Steps 1 and 2

1. Click on the Content tab
2. Under the Certificates heading click Clear SSL State
3. Click OK to confirm
4. Click OK to close the menu

Reset 'Advanced Settings'

Steps 1 and 2

1. Click Advanced
2. Click Restore Advanced settings

Reset Internet Explorer to Default Settings

Internet Explorer must be closed for this process
If Internet Explorer is unusable

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click Internet Options
4. Click Advanced
5. Click Reset
   • Confirm the reset, when complete click close.

See Also

• Reset browser
• IE Page Cannot Be Displayed