Internet Explorer Command-Line Options
Updated: January, 2011
Windows Internet Explorer includes several command-line options that enable you to troubleshoot and configure the browser. This topic describes the options that Internet Explorer supports.
Supported Command-Line Options
The following declaration shows the command-line definition for Internet Explorer.
iexplore.exe [ [ -embedding ]
[ -extoff ]
[ -framemerging ]
[ -k ]
[ -noframemerging ]
[ -nohangrecovery ]
[ -private ] ]
[ URL ]
The following table describes the supported command-line options for Internet Explorer.
| Command-line option | Description |
|---|---|
| -embedding | Starts Internet Explorer through OLE embedding (such as the WebBrowser Control). |
| -extoff | Internet Explorer 7 and later versions. Starts Internet Explorer in No Add-ons mode, which you can use to troubleshoot problems with browser add-ons. For more information, see Troubleshooting Internet Explorer Add-ons. |
| -framemerging | Internet Explorer 8 and later versions. Enables Internet Explorer to opportunistically merge new frame processes into existing frame processes. For more information, see Internet Explorer 8 and Reliability. |
| -k | Starts Internet Explorer in kiosk mode. The browser opens in a maximized window that does not display the address bar, the navigation buttons, or the status bar. |
| -noframemerging | Internet Explorer 8 and later versions. Prevents Internet Explorer from opportunistically merging new frame processes into existing frame processes. |
| -nohangrecovery | Internet Explorer 9. Prevents Internet Explorer from restarting a tab when it stops responding. This option enables application developers to use debugging tools to investigate problems with Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), Microsoft ActiveX controls, and other browser extentions. |
| -private | Internet Explorer 8 and later versions. Starts Internet Explorer with InPrivate Browsing set to active. For more information, see IE Blog: Online Privacy, Tracking, and InPrivate Filtering. |
| URL | Navigates to the page or resource that you specify as URL, after Internet Explorer opens. |
Superseded, Deprecated, and Obsolete Options
Some command-line options that earlier Internet Explorer versions supported are not supported in later versions of the browser because of one of the following reasons:
An option is replaced by another option. (That is, the option has been superseded.)
An option is recognized by the browser, but it does not function like it used to or we no longer recommend that you use it. (That is, the option is deprecated.)
An option is no longer recognized by the browser and might generate error conditions if you use it. (That is, the option is obsolete.)
The following table lists command-line options that are no longer supported and that you should not use.
| Command–line option | Status |
|---|---|
| -channelband | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 7. |
| -e | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 7. |
| -eval | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 7. |
| -nomerge | Available in pre-release versions of Internet Explorer 8. This option has been superseded by the -noframemerging option that is described in the earlier table. |
| -new | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 7. |
| -nowait | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 7. |
| -remote | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 8. |
| -v | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 8. |
| -version | Obsolete as of Internet Explorer 8. |
