Group Policy and Internet Explorer 8
There are approximately 1300 Group Policies for managing Windows® Internet Explorer® 8. This TechNet article provides recommendations for the following important areas: security, performance, and compatibility with Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 6. This article also lists the 65 new Group Policies added in Internet Explorer 8.
New Group Policies added in Internet Explorer 8
The following table lists the new Group Policies in Internet Explorer 8.
| Feature | Policy setting name | Scope | Policy path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerators | Turn off Accelerators | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Accelerators |
| Deploy non-default Accelerators | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Accelerators | |
| Deploy default Accelerators | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Accelerators | |
| Use Policy Accelerators | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Accelerators | |
| ActiveX® | Turn off ActiveX Opt-In Prompt | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Only use the ActiveX Installer Service for installation of ActiveX controls | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer | |
| Only allow approved domains to use ActiveX without prompt | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security\PER ZONE | |
| Disable Per-User Installation of ActiveX Controls | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer | |
| AJAX | Turn off Cross Domain Request Object | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features |
| Turn off Cross Document Messaging | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features | |
| Maximum number of connections per server (HTTP 1.0) | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features\AJAX | |
| Maximum number of connections per server (HTTP 1.1) | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features\AJAX | |
| Automatic Crash Recovery | Turn off Automatic Crash Recovery Prompt | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Turn off Reopen Last Browsing Session | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer | |
| Caret Browsing support | Turn on Caret Browsing support | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Advanced Page |
| Compatibility View | Turn on Internet Explorer 7 Standards Mode | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View |
| Turn off Compatibility View | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View | |
| Turn on Internet Explorer Standards Mode for Local Intranet | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View | |
| Use Policy List of Internet Explorer 7 Sites | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View | |
| Turn off Compatibility View button | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View | |
| Include updated Web site lists from Microsoft | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Compatibility View | |
| Data Execution Prevention | Turn off Data Execution Prevention | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features |
| Data URI Support | Turn off Data URI Support | Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Security Features |
| Delete Browsing History | Prevent Deleting Web sites that the User has Visited | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History |
| Prevent Deleting Temporary Internet Files | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History | |
| Prevent Deleting Cookies | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History | |
| Prevent Deleting Favorites Site Data | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History | |
| Prevent Deleting InPrivate Blocking data | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History | |
| Configure Delete Browsing History on exit | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History | |
| Developer Tools | Turn off Developer Tools | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars |
| Encryption support | Turn off Encryption Support | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Advanced Page |
| Favorites Bar | Turn off Favorites Bar | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| InPrivate Filtering | Turn off InPrivate Filterting | ||
| InPrivate Filterting | Turn off InPrivate Filterting | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\InPrivate |
| Do not collect InPrivate Filtering data | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\InPrivate | |
| InPrivate Filtering threshold | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\InPrivate | |
| Disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Filtering starts | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\InPrivate | |
| Turn off InPrivate Browsing | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\InPrivate | |
| HTTP 1.1 | Use HTTP 1.1 | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Advanced Page |
| Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Advanced Page | |
| New Tab behavior | Configure new tab page default behavior | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Printing | Turn off printing menu | User | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Browser Menu |
| RSS Feeds | Turn on Basic feed authentication over HTTP | User, Machine | Windows Components\RSS Feeds |
| Search Provider | Turn off suggestions for all user-installed providers | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Turn off the activation of the quick pick menu | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer | |
| Turn off Windows Search AutoComplete | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Settings\AutoComplete | |
| Secondary Home Pages | Disable changing secondary home page settings | User | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Security | Turn off cross-site scripting filter | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security Page\<multiple zones> |
| Turn on warn about Certificate Address Mismatch | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security Page | |
| SmartScreen® Filter | Prevent Bypassing SmartScreen Filter Warnings | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Turn off Managing SmartScreen Filter | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer | |
| Use SmartScreen Filter | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security Page\PER ZONE | |
| Suggested Sites | Turn on Suggested Sites | User | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Tab Grouping | Turn off Tab Grouping | User | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Tab process growth | Set tab process growth | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer |
| Toolbars | Lock all toolbars | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars |
| Hide the command bar | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars | |
| Hide the status bar | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars | |
| Set location of Stop and Refresh buttons | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars | |
| Use large icons for command buttons | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars | |
| Customize command button labels | User, Machine | Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Toolbars | |
| Web Slices | Turn off the feed and Web Slices list | User, Machine | Windows Components\RSS Feeds |
| Turn off background sync for feeds and Web Slices | User, Machine | Windows Components\RSS Feeds | |
| Turn off addition and removal of feeds and Web Slices | User, Machine | Windows Components\RSS Feeds | |
| Turn off feed and Web Slices discovery | User, Machine | Windows Components\RSS Feeds |