Internet Explorer 9 Tips & Tweaks - Maximize Your Browser

Enhance Your Web Experience with Internet Explorer 9

If you are utilizing Internet Explorer 9, numerous tips and techniques are available to refine your online browsing, ranging from interface customization to leveraging its extensive features. These enhancements aim to make your time online both more secure and efficient, benefiting from IE9’s robust security and privacy improvements.

Surf or Search Using the Unified Address Bar

Prior to IE9, the address and search functionalities were distinct. IE9 consolidates these into a single “One Box,” enabling you to navigate to websites or initiate searches from a central location. According to Microsoft, entering a valid URL, such as "microsoft" or "howtogeek," will be interpreted as such, allowing you to access the site directly or by pressing Shift + Enter.

The One Box also incorporates inline autocomplete, streamlining access to frequently visited sites with minimal typing. IE9 intelligently suggests popular websites, as well as entries from your Favorites and History lists.

Furthermore, the One Box functions as a search box; simply enter a search query, like "Sacramento weather," and press Enter. You can also dynamically switch search providers from the drop-down list that appears during your search. Additional providers can be added via the IE add-ons site. Information on adding Google as a search provider to IE9 is available in a dedicated article. The add-ons site interface has evolved, but the core procedure remains consistent.

To modify your default search provider, remove existing ones, adjust the button order, or manage other add-ons, display the menu bar using the Alt key and select Manage Add-ons from the Tools menu. Within the Manage Add-ons dialog, select Search Providers under Add-on Types. Click "Find more search providers" to access the add-ons site and expand your options.

You can also access your browsing history quickly by clicking the down arrow within the One Box.

Manage Add-ons for Optimal Performance

The Manage Add-ons dialog box, previously mentioned, allows control over various add-ons beyond search providers, including toolbars and extensions. IE9 may provide notifications regarding installed add-ons. These notifications can assist in identifying add-ons that potentially impact IE’s performance.

Proactive management of add-ons is also possible through the Manage Add-ons dialog, accessible via the Tools menu. Different add-on categories are available for selection.

Selecting an add-on reveals details such as its name, publisher, version, and type. Depending on the add-on type, you can enable or disable it, or remove it entirely. Be mindful that disabling certain add-ons may affect webpage rendering or IE functionality.

Right-clicking an add-on provides options for managing it. Links to discover more add-ons or learn about each type are also available in the window’s lower-left corner.

It’s worth noting a useful add-on that provides spell-checking functionality within IE, available on both the IE Gallery and its dedicated website. Additional resources detail enhancing IE9 with add-ons and disabling them to improve browsing speed.

Pin the Favorites Center for Quick Access

Your Favorites are accessible through the Favorites bar at the top of the IE window. If this bar is not visible, press Alt to reveal the menu bar and select Toolbars | Favorites bar from the View menu.

The "Favorites Center" offers convenient access to your Favorites, Feeds, and History. It can be accessed by clicking the star icon in the upper-right corner of the IE window. This temporarily displays the Favorites Center on the right side of the window, disappearing when a Favorite is selected. To keep it consistently accessible, pin it to the left side of the window by clicking the green left arrow.

This divides the IE window into two panes, with the Favorites Center permanently visible on the left. You can access your Favorites, Feeds, or History, and add sites to your Favorites list. Close the Favorites Center by clicking the X in the upper-right corner of the pane. The next time you open it, it will initially appear on the right; click the green left arrow again to pin it to the left.

The width of the pinned Favorites Center can be adjusted by hovering over the right border until the cursor changes to a double arrow. Click and drag the border to resize it, releasing the mouse button when the desired width is achieved.

Pin Websites to the Taskbar, Desktop, and Start Menu

Beyond pinning the Favorites Center, websites can be pinned to the Taskbar, Desktop, and Start menu for rapid access without opening IE first.

To pin a website to the Taskbar, visit the desired site and drag its favicon from the One Box onto the Taskbar.

A transparent box displaying the favicon and a "Pin to Taskbar" message will appear. Releasing the mouse button adds the site to your Taskbar.

Websites can also be pinned to the Start menu by dragging their favicon to the Start orb. They will appear at the top of the Start menu alongside pinned applications. Creating a Desktop shortcut is achieved by dragging the favicon to the desktop.

Opening a website from a pinned shortcut launches a special IE window. The standard Home button is replaced with a dedicated button for the pinned site. Closing this window returns the normal Home button when IE is launched through a standard shortcut.

Search Your Favorites Efficiently

If you maintain a large collection of Favorites in IE, several methods are available to locate specific sites. You can search within IE using an add-on, or create a shortcut to search your IE Favorites folder directly in Windows Explorer.

While the article referencing an add-on for in-browser Favorites searching is dated, the add-on remains functional in IE9.

Customize the Location for Saved Favorites

By default, IE Favorites in Windows 7 are saved to C:\Users\[username]\Favorites. However, you can change this location for easier backup or storage on a different drive.

Utilize Tear-off Tabs for Side-by-Side Viewing

To view two web pages simultaneously, you can "tear off" tabs into separate IE windows and utilize the Aero Snap feature in Windows 7. This creates two independent IE windows positioned side-by-side.

Display Tabs on a Separate Row

IE defaults to displaying tabs on the same row as the One Box. While this conserves screen space, it can limit the size of the One Box and become crowded with numerous tabs. To display tabs on a separate row, right-click on the tab bar and select "Show tabs on a separate row."

Quickly Open New Tabs

Instead of clicking the empty tab at the end of the tab bar, double-click the empty space to the right of your open tabs to open a new tab, provided there is sufficient space.

Access Favorites on the New Tab Page

The New Tab page provides access to your Favorites, along with suggestions based on your browsing history (unless using InPrivate browsing). It also allows you to reopen recently closed tabs, restore a previous session if IE crashed, and start an InPrivate browsing session. You can customize the displayed sites on the New Tab page.

Sites can be pinned from both the One Box and the New Tab page to the Taskbar, Start menu, or Desktop.

Show More Sites on the New Tab Page

By default, the New Tab page displays two rows of sites. This can be increased to a maximum of five rows by modifying the Registry Editor. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TabbedBrowsing\NewTabPage

Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named NumRows and set its value between 2 and 5.

Alternatively, a free tool called IE9 Tweaker Plus can simplify this process.

Download Files to Custom Locations

Downloaded files typically save to your Downloads directory (C:\Users\<username>\Downloads in Windows 7 and Vista). However, you can choose a custom location by clicking the arrow next to "Save" in the download dialog and selecting "Save As."

Display the Menu Bar

The menu bar in IE9 is hidden by default but can be accessed by pressing the Alt key. To permanently display the menu bar and other toolbars, modify the registry.

Quickly Navigate Back Through History

Click and hold the back arrow, or right-click it, to access a list of previously visited pages, allowing you to jump back further than a single click.

Set a Custom Homepage URL

To set a custom homepage, navigate to the desired webpage in IE9. Click the Tools button, select Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab. Use the "Use current" option to set the current page as your homepage, "Use blank" for a blank page, or "Use default" to revert to the MSN site. Click OK to save your changes.

Disable IE9 Thumbnail Previews

IE9 displays thumbnails of open tabs on the Taskbar when Aero thumbnail features are enabled. This can consume desktop space. To disable this, adjust a setting within IE.

Change Your Browser's User Agent

Websites identify browsers using user agents. You can modify your browser’s user agent to appear as a different browser or device.

Fix IE Issues with a Utility

A free utility can re-register approximately 89 .dll and .ocx files essential for IE’s smooth operation. Ensure all IE windows are closed before running the utility.

Clear Browsing History

Clear your web history, temporary internet files, cookies, and download history using the appropriate options in the Delete Browsing History dialog.

Manage Cookies

Delete all cookies or selectively remove cookies for specific websites. To delete cookies for a specific site, press F12 while on that site to open the developer console and select "Clear cookies for domain" from the Cache menu.

Remove Expired Cookies

IE does not automatically delete expired cookies, leading to accumulated useless files. A free tool, Expired Cookies Cleaner, can automate this process and free up disk space.

Report Malicious Websites

Report potentially malicious websites to Microsoft using the SmartScreen Filter in IE9.

Enhance Privacy

Utilize IE9’s privacy features, such as tracking protection lists, the SmartScreen filter, and cookie management, to protect your online activity.

Customize the Command Bar

Customize the buttons displayed on the Command bar by accessing the Customize Toolbar dialog box through the Tools menu. Add, remove, and rearrange buttons to suit your preferences.

Move Stop and Refresh Buttons

Move the Stop and Refresh buttons to the left side of the Address bar by right-clicking them and selecting "Show Stop and Refresh before Address bar."

Simplify Customization with IE9 Tweaker Plus

IE9 Tweaker Plus is a free tool that simplifies many IE9 customization tasks, including setting up shortcuts for InPrivate browsing and creating custom homepages.

Leverage Keyboard Shortcuts

Utilize IE9’s keyboard shortcuts for efficient browsing, including Alt + Home (homepage), Ctrl + L (highlight address bar), Ctrl + D (add to Favorites), and more. A comprehensive list is available on Microsoft’s website.

These tips and tricks should contribute to a more enjoyable and productive web browsing experience with Internet Explorer 9.