How to increase internet speeds with Internet Explorer

A few simple changes can help speed up browsing and downloading with Internet Explorer.

There are a few classic tricks to squeezing a bit more speed out of Internet Explorer for your general web browsing and downloading. By speeding up your browser you will enjoy smoother web pages with a lot less waiting around. So how to do it…

1. Remove extensions

In Internet Explorer click Tools > Manage add-ons, unless you’re using a toolbar then you can probably disable them all with the Disable button. The worst that can happen is a page might not load, in which case turn it back on.

2. Curb your searches

Still in Manage add-ons and under Add-on Types click Search Providers. This is where the list of available search engines is managed. Remove any that you don’t use and set your favourite to Default so it’s always available. Also select Prevent programs from suggesting changes to my default search provider to keep these settings.

3. Cache everything

Internet Explorer can store local copies of web sites and standard images. This can vastly decrease page loading times, but sometimes the size of the cache can be too small. In Internet Explorer select Tools > Internet Options > Browsing History Settings. Increase the figure from 50MB to 1024MB, but check you have plenty of free space on your Windows drive.

4. Stop pop-ups

Pop-ups are annoying and can slow you down while browsing. To make sure pop-up windows are blocked in Internet Explorer select Tools > Internet Options > Privacy and check Turn on Pop-up Blocker. Click Settings to review the list of allowed sites and remove any that shouldn’t be there.

5. Remove unnecessary checks

Every time Windows connects to the internet it automatically checks unnecessary settings. Stop this nonsense by selecting Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings and deselect the Automatically detect settings box as this is unnecessary for most home users.

6. Get a new Internet Explorer

Usually Windows should automatically offer to install newer versions of Internet Explorer, which often provides a faster and smoother experience. Head to windows.microsoft.com to grab the latest version.

And finally for advanced users that know how to use Regedit…

7. Accelerate downloads

It’s possible to get Internet Explorer to use multiple connections when downloading. To do this requires a Registry hack. So run Regedit and browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings. Double-click MaxConnections PerServer and MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server in the right-hand pane, select Decimal, set each to 10, then reboot your PC.

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