How Do I Enable Cookies in IE 11?

Enable Cookies In IE 11 Many web based services at Carleton use cookies to function. If your browser is set to reject cookies, some of these services will not work for you.

Cookies are small text files that store information on your computer. They allow websites to remember your preferences, and the settings of your browser.

Enable Cookies In IE 11 (IE 11) is a straightforward process that involves adjusting your browser settings. Cookies are small pieces of data that websites store on your computer to remember information about you, such as login credentials and preferences. Enabling cookies is essential for a seamless browsing experience on many websites. Here’s a detailed guide on enabling cookies in IE 11, broken down into steps for easy understanding.

Step 1: Open Internet Explorer 11

Launch Internet Explorer 11 on your computer. You can find it in the Start menu or taskbar, depending on your operating system.

2: Access Internet Options

1. Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner of the IE 11 window. This icon represents the “Settings” menu.
2. From the drop-down menu, select “Internet options.” This will open the Internet Options window.

3: Navigate to the Privacy Tab

1. In the Internet Options window, locate and click on the “Privacy” tab. This tab controls how IE 11 handles cookies and other privacy-related settings.

4: Adjust Cookie Settings

1. Under the Privacy tab, you will find a slider that allows you to adjust the overall privacy settings. Move the slider to a position that allows cookies. The options include:
   • High: Blocks all cookies.
   • Medium High: Blocks third-party cookies without a compact privacy policy.
   • Medium: Blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy, and blocks first-party cookies that save information about you.
   • Low: Accepts all cookies.

5: Customize Advanced Settings

1. To customize cookie settings further, click on the “Advanced” button below the slider.
2. In the Advanced Privacy Settings window, you can manually configure cookie-related options. Ensure the following options are checked:
   • Override automatic cookie handling.
   • First-party Cookies: Accept.
   • Third-party Cookies: Accept.
   • Always allow session cookies.

6: Confirm Changes and Close

1. After adjusting the settings, click “OK” in the Advanced Privacy Settings window.
2. Then, click “OK” in the Internet Options window to apply the changes.

7: Restart Internet Explorer 11

1. Close and reopen Internet Explorer 11 to ensure that the changes take effect.

8: Test Cookies

1. Visit a website that uses cookies, such as a login-based site or an e-commerce platform.
2. Verify that the website functions correctly and that you are able to stay logged in.

Additional Tips:

• Keep your browser updated: Ensure that you have the latest version of Internet Explorer 11 to benefit from security updates and bug fixes.
• Clear cookies selectively: If you encounter issues with a specific website, consider clearing cookies for that site only. In the Privacy tab, click on “Sites,” enter the website’s address, and click “Block” or “Remove.”
• Security considerations: While enabling cookies enhances the browsing experience, be cautious about potential security risks. Regularly review and clear your cookies to maintain a balance between convenience and security.

1. Go to Tools

To access your Internet Explorer Tools menu, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the browser and then choose Internet Options. This opens the General tab and you can change your Cookie Settings. The default is to Accept all Cookies. You can also choose to block Third Party Cookies or to allow them only for sites you specify.

In our testing, we’ve found that the Cookies redirection, which seemed to work for IE8, IE9 and IE10, doesn’t seem to be working well in IE11. This is particularly true for the roaming profiles (it seems to only work if the user is using a standard Windows mandatory profile, not the fancy Modern bits in IE11.

This problem manifests as a “inaccessible History” folder when you try to access your settings – it looks like the data is there, but you can’t get at it. Various attempts at file attributes resets at IE Process Start via AppSense EM failed to solve this one – it’s a bit of a bummer that something that worked for a long time is now broken.

2. Internet Options

The Internet Options section of the Control Panel enables you to configure Internet Explorer settings. This includes home page, proxy server, autocomplete, and security settings. It also allows the user to customize their privacy settings for both first and third party cookies.

The default settings include a slider control that can be dragged up or down to select different levels of cookie security. Other options include a checkbox to allow all cookies, and the ability to enable or disable tracking. The user can also choose to clear the AutoComplete data for a number of items including address bar entries, bookmarks, feeds and forms (username and password fields).

If you look at the contents of the cookies that Internet Explorer has collected, they are basically text files that contain information about the browser session. The contents of the file are defined by the Web site that created it. Some contain what seems to be human-readable information, while others seem to be gibberish.

It is important to set the Windows Verity Level to high for the Internet Zone in order to protect against attacks inline on a Web page (cross site scripting). This can be done by clicking on the Advanced button and selecting the option to reset the file attributes Action at IE Process Start via AppSense EM, as shown below.

3. Privacy

The Privacy and security settings in Internet Explorer offer a variety of choices about how your browser handles Cookies, JavaScript, Automatic Downloads, Camera access and other items.

The default settings are generally good, but you should review and adjust as appropriate. For example, in the Privacy section, the slider control at the top can be dragged up or down to select varying levels of Cookie security.

If you are running the Modern version of Windows, IE will send your browsing history to Microsoft. To prevent this, disable the ‘Enable suggested sites’ option in the ‘Safety’ area of the Internet Options window.

In the ‘Cookies’ area, set the first-party Cookie handling to Accept or Block. Similarly, in the ‘JavaScript’ area, set it to Allow or Block. In the ‘Camera and Microphone’ area, set it to Ask before accessing (recommended).

If you are using the 64-bit instance of IE, you should also enable the Enhanced Protected Mode setting, which elevates content and tab processes to full 64-bit operation, even when they run on a 32-bit PC. This improves security and might provide faster performance, especially on older hardware. In the Advanced/Browsing section, change the Enable third-party browser extensions setting from checked (enabled) to unchecked. This will stop nonstandard toolbars, search redirectors, popup ads and other extensions from altering IE 11’s behavior.

4. Security

Enable Cookies In IE 11 includes some security features that may be of interest to you, such as the ability to use a password to log in and a setting that prevents IE from downloading images or other content when you visit websites. You can find these settings in the Tools menu under Internet Options.

The Privacy tab allows you to select a level of Cookie protection that varies from Block all Cookies to Accept all Cookies. The default is Medium, which provides a balance between providing you with the best web experience and protecting your privacy by blocking certain types of Cookies that could leak private information.

Aside from the options to manage Cookies, you can also control other aspects of your browser’s security. For example, you can set an option that blocks ActiveX controls and third-party cookies or enables you to choose whether to allow all or prompt for all or some cookies.

If you have selected the Accept all cookies radio button, it is also a good idea to choose the Advanced button on the Internet Options dialog and select Override automatic cookie handling. Make sure the Checkbox for First-party Cookies and the Checkbox for Third-party Cookies are both checked. Click OK and you have successfully configured your Internet Explorer browser’s Cookie settings.

Summary

Enabling cookies in Internet Explorer 11 involves accessing the Privacy settings, adjusting the slider or customizing advanced options, and confirming the changes. Regularly reviewing and managing cookies ensures a secure and personalized browsing experience.