Although the new Microsoft Edge has replaced the Internet Explorer (IE) browser, it’s still maintained as most corporate systems and home users heavily rely on it. Browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox have no problem with loading pages and displaying content, but Internet Explorer often lags and takes too long.
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What Makes Internet Explorer Slow and How to Solve It
Opera Software and Mozilla are all individual companies, and their main focus is on the web browser itself, so they dedicate a lot of resources to improving it. The shift in focus by Microsoft to Edge means they don’t roll out new updates and features for Explorer anymore. As such, it’s simply not able to process many web pages correctly. For example, many widespread CSS improvements aren’t supported in IE. Its responsiveness is also very slow.
Don’t worry, though. Here are a few ways to troubleshoot this issue.
Disable JavaScript
JavaScript is a web programming language that delivers interactive web pages. JavaScript allows you to enjoy the enhanced functionality and dynamic interfaces that a website may have to offer. If you disable it, your browsing speed will improve dramatically, but it could also break many interactive features on websites, like menus, sounds, sharing buttons, ads, etc. You also may not be able to log in to websites or forums. Enable JavaScript by going to www.enablejavascript.io and trying another fix.
Reset Internet Explorer Settings
Spyware and adware often change the browser start and search pages to point to malicious websites. Internet Explorer, after extended usage, can also be relatively slow because of all the configurations and the settings that the user may or may not have applied at their own will. Resetting the browser to its original settings deletes all the history and cache and restores the browser to its factory state. In most cases, this will enhance performance. Go to the Internet Explorer menu, click Tools, and then Internet Options. Select the Advanced tab and click Reset. Again, click Reset in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings. Click OK to exit and restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.
Manage Add-Ons in Internet Explorer
Add-ons provide many useful functions. For example, the Silverlight add-on enables you to stream movies through Netflix. Add-ons can better your browsing experience by giving you access to great web content, but some add-ons can pose security, privacy, and performance risks. Make sure any add-ons you install are from a trusted source. Microsoft has a support page to guide you on this.
Manage the Internet Explorer History Folder
The Internet Explorer history folder stores previously visited websites. When this piles up, your Internet Explorer can become slow. Clear the cache regularly or adjust your settings, so it cleans automatically. To delete the history, go to Tools and then Internet Options. (In Internet Explorer 7, click Settings under Browsing History.) Then, change the Days to keep pages in History value to 0. Click OK to exit, and restart Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.
Keep Your Internet Explorer Secured
Malicious code can attack your Internet Explorer browser through spyware and adware. Most of the time, this results in pop-ups and various automatic downloads. You should download a free anti-virus program if you do not already have one and update the definitions before scanning. To be thorough, install anti-spyware and adware removing programs.
Try Advanced Tricks
If you are an advanced PC user, you can make modifications to the registry that could increase the performance of Internet Explorer. The goal is to increase the maximum number of sessions Internet Explorer can open with a single server. To achieve this, open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the search bar of Windows, and increase the MaxConnectionsPerServer value located under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings. When attempting any modifications to the Windows registry, ensure you have a fresh backup. Registry changes can damage your PC if done incorrectly.
Final Thoughts
Internet Explorer is by far the most iconic browser in history, and will still be around for a long time. You can optimize its performance by following the above tips so that you have a pleasant browsing experience.
