How To Remove, Disable Or Enable Add-ons In Internet Explorer 11
Have you installed add-оns for Internet Explorer 11 which you no longer need? Or do you simply need to use them on rare occasions? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then read this tutorial. You will learn how to remove unwanted add-ons or just disable them, so that you'll be able to re-enable them later.
How To Disable Add-ons In Internet Explorer 11
All add-on management operations are done in the Manage Add-ons window. In order to open it, press the Tools button (the one that looks like a wheel) on the top-right side of the Internet Explorer 11 window. Then, click or tap the Manage add-ons button.
Now, go to the appropriate type of add-ons and find the one you want to disable. Right click or tap and hold on it and then select Disable.
The add-on you selected is now disabled.
How To Enable A Disabled Add-on In Internet Explorer 11
In order to enable a disabled add-on, you simply need to follow the same procedure we described above, but instead of selecting Disable, click or tap on Enable.
How To Remove Add-ons In Internet Explorer 11
If you want to remove add-ons, the steps you must take are a bit more complex, due to the weird implementation some types of add-ons get. For example, many toolbars and extensions are distributed with separate installation files (setup.exe or setup.msi) which need to be downloaded and installed. The whole installation process is done outside Internet Explorer 11, not inside it, like it is the case with search providers and accelerators. Therefore, uninstalling such add-ons is also done outside Internet Explorer 11. Most toolbars and extensions for Internet Explorer 11, are found in the Programs and Features list of applications.
First, open the Programs and Features window. In order to do this, open the Control Panel, select the Programs section and in then open Programs and Features.
When you select an add-on and you only find the Disable option in the contextual menu, it means it cannot be removed from Internet Explorer 11. You should try to uninstall it from Programs and Features.
On the other hand, Search providers and Accelerators are very easy to uninstall. In Internet Explorer's Manage Add-ons window, click Search Providers or Accelerators, select the add-on you want to uninstall, right click or tap and hold on it and select Remove.
The add-on will be removed in no time.
Conclusion
As you can see, disabling or removing add-ons from Internet Explorer 11 is easy to do. We hope this tutorial clarified why some add-ons can be disabled but not uninstalled from the Manage Add-ons window and how you can actually get rid of them. For more articles on Internet Explorer, check out some of our related guides and if you have any suggestions, questions or problems, do not hesitate to use the comments form below.