Windows 7 / Getting Started

Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8

Table below shows some examples of the more useful settings that apply to both Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8. Settings marked as CC can be found at Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer\. Settings marked as UC can be found at User Configuration\Administrative Templates \Windows Components\Internet Explorer\.

Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8

SettingCCUCDescription
Add A Specific List Of Search Providers To The User's Search Provider ListWith the help of custom registry settings or a custom administrative template, you can configure custom search providers that will be accessible from the Search toolbar.
Turn Off Crash DetectionAllows you to disable Crash Detection, which automatically disables problematic add-ons. Enable this setting only if you have an internal add-on that is unreliable but still required.
Do Not Allow Users To Enable Or Disable Add-onsEnable this setting to disable the Add-on Manager.
Turn On Menu Bar By DefaultBy default, Internet Explorer 7 does not display a menu bar. Users can display the menu bar by pressing the Alt key. Enable this setting to display the menu bar by default.
Disable Caching Of Auto-Proxy ScriptsIf you use scripts to configure proxy settings, you can use this setting if you experience problems with script caching.
Disable External Branding Of Internet ExplorerPrevents the customization of logos and title bars in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office Outlook Express. This custom branding often occurs when users install software from an Internet service provider.
Disable Changing Advanced Page SettingsEnable this policy to prevent users from changing security, multimedia, and printing settings from the Internet Options Advanced tab.
Customize User Agent StringChanges the user-agent string, which browsers use to identify the specific browser type and version to Web servers.
Use Automatic Detection For Dial-Up ConnectionsDisabled by default, you can enable this policy setting to allow Automatic Detection to use a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) or Domain Name System (DNS) server to customize the browser the first time it starts.
Move The Menu Bar Above The Navigation BarEnable this policy setting to control the placement of the menu bar. If you don't set this, users can configure the location of the menu bar relative to the navigation bar by dragging it.
Turn Off Managing Pop-Up Filter LevelUse this setting to configure whether users can set the Pop-up Filter level. You can't set the Pop-up Filter level directly with this setting; you can only define whether or not users can manage the setting.
Turn Off The Security Settings Check FeatureBy default, Internet Explorer will warn users if settings put them at risk. If you configure settings in such a way that Internet Explorer would warn the users, enable this setting to prevent the warning from appearing.
Turn On Compatibility LoggingEnable this setting to log the details of requests that Internet Explorer blocks. Typically, you need to enable this setting only when actively troubleshooting a problem with a Web site.
Enforce Full Screen ModeEnable this policy only if using a computer as a Web-browsing kiosk.
Configure Media Explorer BarEnable this policy if you want to be able to disable the Media Explorer Bar. The Media Explorer Bar plays music and video content from the Internet. Keep in mind that multimedia content is used for legitimate, business-related Web sites more and more often, including replaying meetings and webcasts.
Prevent The Internet Explorer Search Box From DisplayingEnable this policy to force users to use the search provider you configure.
Restrict Changing The Default Search ProviderEnable this policy to hide the search box.
Pop-Up Allow ListEnable this policy and specify a list of sites that should allow pop-ups if you have internal Web sites that require pop-up functionality.
Prevent Participation In The Customer Experience Improvement ProgramMicrosoft uses the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) to gather information about how users work with Internet Explorer. If you enable this policy, CEIP will not be used. In some organizations, you might need to disable CEIP to meet confidentiality requirements. If you disable this policy, CEIP will always be used. For more information about CEIP, visit http://www.microsoft.com/products/ceip/.

In addition to the settings in Table above, several subnodes contain additional Internet Explorer-related settings. With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates \Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Administrator Approved Controls (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can enable or disable specific controls throughout your organization.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Application Compatibility (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can control cut, copy, and paste operations for Internet Explorer. Typically, you do not need to modify these settings.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Browser Menus (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can disable specific menu items.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can disable specific aspects of the Internet Options dialog box, including individual tabs and settings. Change these settings if you want to prevent users from easily modifying important Internet Explorer settings. This will disable the user interface only and will not prevent users from directly changing registry values.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Internet Settings (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can configure user interface elements, including AutoComplete, image resizing, smooth scrolling, link colors, and more. You need to change these settings only if one of the default settings proves problematic in your environment.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Offline Pages (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can disable different aspects of offline pages, which allows users to keep a copy of Web pages for use while disconnected from a network. Typically, you do not need to change these settings.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Persistence Behavior (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can configure maximum amounts for Dynamic HTML (DHTML) Persistence storage on a per-zone basis. Typically, you do not need to change these settings.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Security Features (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can configure all aspects of Internet Explorer security.

With the policy settings located in Administrative Templates\Windows Components \Internet Explorer\Toolbars (within both User Configuration and Computer Configuration), you can configure toolbar buttons and disable user customization of these buttons. Users will probably be most familiar with the default button configuration. However, you can modify the default settings to better suit your environment.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Windows Internet Explorer
  2. Internet Explorer 8 Improvements
  3. InPrivate Browsing
  4. InPrivate Filtering
  5. Compatibility View
  6. SmartScreen
  7. Domain Highlighting
  8. Tab Isolation
  9. Accelerators
  10. Improvements Previously Introduced in Internet Explorer 7
  11. User Interface Changes
  12. Tabbed Browsing
  13. Search Bar
  14. How to Create a Web Link to Add a Custom Search Provider
  15. How to Configure Custom Search Providers Using the Registry
  16. How to Configure Custom Search Providers Using Group Policy
  17. RSS Feeds
  18. Improved Standards Support
  19. Expanded Group Policy Settings
  20. Defending Against Malware
  21. How Protected Mode Improves Security
  22. How the Protected Mode Compatibility Layer Works
  23. How to Solve Protected Mode Incompatibilities
  24. URL-Handling Protection
  25. Address Bar Visibility
  26. Cross-Domain Scripting Attack Protection
  27. Controlling Browser Add-ons
  28. Add -on Manager Improvements
  29. Protecting Against Data Theft
  30. Security Status Bar
  31. How the Smart Screen Filter Works
  32. How to Configure Smart Screen Options
  33. Deleting Browsing History
  34. Blocking IDN Spoofing
  35. Security Zones
  36. Understanding Zones
  37. Configuring Zones on the Local Computer
  38. Configuring Zones Using Group Policy
  39. Network Protocol Lockdown
  40. Managing Internet Explorer Using Group Policy
  41. Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8
  42. New Group Policy Settings for Internet Explorer 8
  43. Using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit
  44. Troubleshooting Internet Explorer Problems
  45. Internet Explorer Does Not Start
  46. An Add-on Does Not Work Properly
  47. Some Web Pages Do Not Display Properly
  48. Preventing Unwanted Toolbars
  49. The Home Page or Other Settings Have Changed