How to Fix “Internet Explorer has stopped working” on Windows 10

Internet Explorer is one of the oldest web browsers that are still around and you will be surprised to know that the browser still has a 12% share in the browser market share statistics (source). A major reason for this is the fact that computers come loaded with Windows and these Windows computers have Internet Explorer already loaded on them. But as users keep using the browser, they face a lot of issues with it like the “Internet Explorer has stopped working” error that pops up every once in a while. Fixing this error is quite simple and all you need to do is follow the solutions given below and fix the “Internet Explorer has stopped working” error.

Although the solutions mentioned below are specifically for Windows 10, but you should have no problem in applying them for Windows 8 or Windows 7 if you are facing similar issues.

Internet Explorer has stopped working, How to Fix?

1. Clear IE cache and data
2. Remove third-party extensions and add-ons
3. Reset Internet Explorer settings
4. Disable software rendering
5. Reset Internet Explorer security zones
6. Microsoft Internet Explorer Troubleshooter
7. Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer

Solution #1: Clear cached data in Internet Explorer

The first thing that we should try is clearing the Internet Explorer cache and see if that solves the issue. The error can come up due to a corrupted cache and clearing the cache letting Internet Explorer build it again might fix the issue.

• Open Internet Explorer and then click on the Gear icon next to the smiley beside the address and search bar.
• Click on the option that says Internet Options from the menu that comes up.
• In the General tab, look for a section for Browsing history and then click on the Delete button.
• A new window will open up where you will see a bunch of checkboxes.

• Click on the option that says Temporary Internet files and website files. You can also click on any other thing that you want to delete.
• After you have selected the things that you want to delete, click the Delete button and you will notice that the window will clock.
• In the next window, click on the Apply button and then click on OK. 

Performing these steps will clear the Internet Explorer cache and you can try opening Internet Explorer again and see if it works.

Solution #2: Disable or Remove third-party extensions, toolbars or search providers

Internet Explorer can cause issues with old extensions or toolbars that might be installed with it and getting rid of those third-party extensions, toolbars etc. might solve this issue for you easily.

• To disable or delete these things, open Internet Explorer and then click on the gear icon to open the menu.
• Choose Manage Add-ons from the menu and a new window will open up.

• You will be able to see all the available add-ons and extensions in this window. You can even see the Search Providers in this very same window.
• Right click on the extension that you want to disable and then click on Disable it.
• You can also go ahead and reset the Search Provider list to default which is Bing.

Once the add-ons, extensions, and toolbars are disabled, go back to the solution #1 and reset your cache as well. Start Internet Explorer again and you will see that the error has disappeared.

Solution #3: Reset Internet Explorer Settings

You can try to reset all the Internet Explorer settings and return it back to default and the error should go away if you are facing this error due to some sort of corrupted settings.

• Open Internet Explorer and then click on the gear icon.
• Click on Internet Options and open it.
• Move over to the Advanced tab and look for the section that reads “Reset Internet Explorer Settings”.
• Click on the Reset button and a new window will open up.
• In this new window, click on Delete personal settings.

Clicking on the Reset button will completely reset Internet Explorer and all you history, bookmarks, favorites, add-ons will disappear making the browser just like new. Now that you have reset Internet Explorer, you should not see the “Internet Explorer stopped working” error.

Solution #4: Disable Software Rendering

Software Rendering will accelerate the loading of web pages and webpage performance based on software tweaks but these software-based tweaks aren’t the most efficient way to do that. This causes Internet Explorer to produce this error. You can disable software rendering from Internet Options to get rid of the error if that’s what causing it.

To disable software rendering, just open Internet Explorer and open Internet Options by clicking on the Gear icon. Switch to the Advanced tab and then uncheck the option that reads “Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering”. Click on Apply and then OK. The error should now go away.

Solution #5: Reset Internet Explorer Security Zones

Resetting the Security Zones to default in Internet Explorer will solve a lot of issues where you are trying to open websites and these security zones are causing issues. To reset Internet Explorer Security Zones, open Internet Explorer and click on the Gear icon. Choose Internet Options from the menu.

Click on the Reset all zones to default level and then click on the Apply button. Your Security Zones will be reset and if you were facing the “Internet Explorer has stopped working” error due to a security zones issue, it should have been solved by now.

Solution #6: Use the Microsoft Internet Explorer Troubleshooters

Microsoft has listed a bunch of Troubleshooter tools on their support website. We also have troubleshooters that you can download and use to fix issues related to Internet Explorer. We have listed two such troubleshooters that you can download and use.

• Download tool to fix Security & Privacy issues
• Download tool to fix problems with Internet Explorer performance

In order to use these tools, all you need to do is click on the links mentioned above and download the troubleshooter tools. Once the tools are downloaded, just open them by double-clicking on the downloaded file. Just follow the steps given on the window and the troubleshooter will scan for issues and fix them easily.

Solution #7: Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer on Windows 10

Although IE is an integral part of Windows OS, but gladly Microsoft does offer a way to uninstall and reinstall IE which also means a possible solution to our problem of Interner Explorer has stopped working. In order to uninstall Internet Explorer, follow the below steps.

1. Press win+i keyboard shortcut to launch Windows Settings, or you can type “Settings” in Cortona search bar and access the Windows Settings for Windows 10.
2. In Windows Settings, open Apps (Uninstall, default, optional features) section
3.  Now locate Manage optional features  on the right side under Apps & features section
4. The Manage optional features, lets you uninstall Windows related apps and features. in the list, you can find the Internet Explorer 11 (or higher).
5. Click on it and select Uninstall and let the Windows complete the process.

You should reboot your system for changes to reflect. To install IE on Windows 10 again, follow the same steps till step no. 3, in Manage option features, locate Add feature and click on + sign.

The list should show Internet Explorer 11, click on install button to let Windows 10 install IE. Now check if your issue is resolved or not.

When all else fails, just switch to another browser..

Seriously, it’s 2018 and why are you still using Internet Explorer? But yes, I get it, a lot of websites across the world only work with Internet Explorer and you need the browser to use these websites but if that is not the case, I suggest you switch to a better browser. Microsoft has started bundling Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 which is the company’s default web browser now. It is also one of the best modern browsers out there with support for add-ons etc. You can also choose to go for Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome if you want to try something else.