Browsing the Internet has become one of the most daily actions that we usually carry out with our computer. But behind something as simple as opening the browser and entering a web page, it has a wide set of options and factors behind it that we can previously control from our Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC.
Although the use of Internet Explorer is practically non-existent, the Internet Options menu has different sections related to security and privacy on the network that are worth knowing.
What are Internet Options
Internet options in Windows is a subprogram belonging to the Control Panel that allows us to manage the different level options related to the connection and navigation on the network.
From here we will be able to manage all the parameters of Internet Explorer, allowing us to configure how we can access the different web pages, as well as having control over the security and privacy of our connection.
It can be very useful for us to control the use of cookies, block access to certain web pages, block certain contents, security on certain pages, etc. That is why the management of these details that may seem basic to us will allow us a certain degree of protection of our information.
Aspects that we can configure
When we open the Internet Options window we will find a series of tabs such as: “General”, “Security“, “Privacy“, “Content”, “Connections”, “Programs” and “Advanced Options”. Each of these sections has a specific function and although its appearance may vary depending on whether we use Windows 10 or Windows 11, the mode is the same for all.
Although Internet Explorer is not available in Windows 11 , we still have access to Internet Options, so that we can configure network parameters and not just the browser.
Next, we are going to review the different tabs that we find and what we can configure from each of them.
General
This section does change a lot depending on whether we are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, so we are going to treat both separately to be able to see each of its characteristics well.
On Windows 10
From here we will be able to configure various general aspects of the Microsoft Edge browser, for which we will have five different sections:
- Home page : allows you to define the URL that appears when you open the browser.
- Home : It is used to decide if we want to open a new window when starting the browser or we prefer to start with the open tabs from the last time we used it.
- Tabs : Allows you to change the way the tabs of each website you visit are displayed.
- Browsing history : from here we will be able to delete everything related to browsing history, cookies, saved passwords, web form information, etc. In addition, it has the “Delete browsing history when exiting” box, if we check it, the file of all the sites we have visited is deleted when we finish browsing.
- Appearance – As the name suggests, we can change the appearance of the Microsoft Edge browser, such as changing its language, color, font, and accessibility.
On Windows 11
In the new operating system from Microsoft the number of options has been significantly reduced compared to its predecessor. Here the options that we have available to configure are:
- Browsing history – From here, we can delete temporary files, history, cookies, saved passwords, and web form information in Microsoft Edge.
- Appearance : we can configure the appearance of Edge, in aspects such as accessibility, color, language or fonts.
Security
From this section we will be able to configure the security level when browsing the Internet from Edge. Here we find four different categories such as: “Internet”, “Local intranet”, “Restricted sites” and “Trusted sites”.
For this, it has a counter from where we can establish how much we want to protect our information , which can be useful to prevent someone from leaking information that unauthorized third parties can access our personal or confidential data that is stored in the browser.
Privacy
This section allows us to configure the privacy of the browser. With this we will be able to prevent access to certain websites, such as those that have explicit content or that are not suitable for minors, so that we can protect the little ones, as well as minimize the storage of cookies in the system . Here we find two main sections.
- Sites : allows you to specify the web pages on which you will always or never be allowed to use cookies, regardless of the privacy policy that we use.
- Pop-up blocker: from here we can prevent the majority of web pop-up windows from appearing, as long as we have the “Activate pop-up blocker” button checked. We can also use the “Settings” button to personally add those sites that we want pop-ups to be blocked.
In this way, by correctly configuring this tab, it allows us to increase the privacy level of Internet Explorer, avoiding risks while we browse the Internet.
Content
From this tab we will be able to manage all the content that is displayed on the Internet.
- Certificates : We may use certificates for encrypted connections and for browser identification purposes when accessing certain web pages.
- Autocomplete : we can configure this function so that it stores what is written in web pages so that it can anticipate what we want to write on future occasions, suggesting possible matches. It also helps us to manage all the information from the browser to complete online forms.
- Sources : this section provides us with updated content from web pages, which can be read from the browser and other programs. We can configure the frequency with which fonts will be downloaded.
Connections
This tab is especially focused on configuring Internet access, allowing you to establish a connection to the local network, either through the router or a portable device. In addition, if necessary, we can add both a proxy server and a VPN service that we use when browsing the Internet.
It should be noted that this section is generally not very useful with respect to the Internet connection, since this is already done automatically. Yes we can configure the proxy connection in case it is necessary.
Programs
The content of this tab is different depending on whether we use Windows 10 or Windows 11, so we will treat it individually for each of them.
On Windows 10
From this section we will be able to configure and install programs or add-ons in our browser. The strange thing is that it only allows you to manage Internet Explorer, which, although it is included in Windows 10, the truth is that it is no longer supported by Microsoft itself. If, for whatever reason, we continue to use it, we can use a plugin to help us:
- Open links.
- Manage add-ons.
- HTML editor.
- Select programs to check email.
- Associate the files that we want Internet Explorer to open by default.
Currently, there are much more efficient browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge itself, so the use of Internet Explorer is not recommended at all.
On Windows 11
As its name suggests, from here we will be able to assign programs to be used with Internet services, as well as browser add-ons. It is divided into two sections:
- Manage plugins: We can enable or disable Edge plugins installed on the system.
- Internet programs: from here we will be able to choose the program that we want to use by default for certain file formats. It also allows a file to always be open in a certain program, change AutoPlay settings, as well as set access and default programs on your computer.
Advanced Options
It’s the last tab in the Internet Options panel. It is specially designed to allow you to activate or deactivate browser functions , becoming the most complete of all the options available. From here we can:
- Manage accessibility.
- Configure the HTTP protocol.
- Validate FTP.
- Work with graphics.
- Access more security options.
- Configure TLS.
- Manage media items.
Likewise, from this section it is possible to undo changes that we have made in the original configuration of the browser. Any changes made here can be reverted by clicking the “Restore advanced settings” button.
Ways to access Internet Options
If we want to access the Internet Options section, we have different ways to do it in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 so that we can choose the one that is most comfortable for us at any time.
On Windows 10
In case of using Windows 10 as the operating system, we can use any of these four options to access the Internet Options panel.
- From Internet Explorer: Just click on the Tools icon located in the upper right corner and has a gear-shaped logo. This will open a menu from where we can select the Internet Options.
- Use the Run command: to launch this command, just press the Windows + R key combination. Here we write inetcpl.cpl and press the Enter key or the OK button.
- In Control Panel: Simply open Control Panel and change the view to small icons. Within the available options we click on Internet Options so that it opens automatically.
- With the search tool: We can also use the Cortana search bar, located next to the Start menu for this task. It will only be necessary to write “internet options” so that it appears from the search results and we select it.
On Windows 11
If we already have the new version of the Microsoft operating system installed and we want to access the Advanced Options menu, we have these ways to do it:
- With the search engine : just click on the Start icon on the toolbar to display its panel. At the top we find your search engine where we must write “control panel” and select it from the list of options that it offers us.
- From the Control Panel : once we access the Control Panel, it is enough to change the view to small icons. Within the available options in the second column starting from the left we will find it and just click.
- Using the Run command : to do this, just press the keyboard shortcut Windows + R, type inetcpl.cpl and press Enter or OK.
Improve performance when browsing the Internet
From the Internet Options panel we can carry out different settings with which we can improve our browsing experience. These are especially suitable if we use Windows 10 as the operating system and Internet Explorer as our usual browser.
Uncheck the boxes for Sources and Web Slices
Once we access the Internet Options from any of the available methods, click on the content tab. Once here, in the Sources and WebSlices section, click on the Configuration button.
This will open a new pop-up window where we must deactivate all the boxes that are within “Default programming” and “Advanced options”.
Delete temporary files and cookies
Now click on the “General” tab where we will go to the “Browsing history” section. Here we must delete all temporary files and cookies for which we click on the “Delete” button.
This will open a new pop-up window where we must uncheck all the boxes that appear except for “Temporary Internet Files” and “Cookies” that we leave marked to eliminate them.
Review restricted sites
Every time we add a registered site to Internet Explorer’s list, it creates a read mode entry when starting the browser, causing it to slow down. That is why it is interesting to access the “Security” tab, select the “Restricted Sites” option and click on the Sites button.
This will open a new pop-up window where we will see all the restricted sites so we can choose to delete them one by one or in batches by clicking on the “Remove ” button. Once finished, click OK to save the changes. By restarting the browser we can see that the changes have taken effect.