Cannot Change the Internet Explorer Home Page: Legacy Troubleshooting (Historical)

Internet Explorer is retired. Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, 2022 for applicable Windows versions and recommends Microsoft Edge. This article is retained for legacy environments only.

If an Internet Explorer home page repeatedly changed back after you edited it, the cause was often a modified shortcut, browser add-on, policy, or unwanted software. Editing multiple machine-wide registry keys was sometimes suggested in older guides, but broad registry changes are not a good first-line fix.

1. Check the Internet Explorer shortcut

On an old system that still has Internet Explorer:

1. Right-click the Internet Explorer shortcut and open Properties.
2. Check the Target field.
3. The executable path should end with iexplore.exe (normally inside quotes).
4. If an unexpected website address has been appended after the executable path, remove only that appended address.

Do not change the executable path itself.

2. Check the configured home page

Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools > Internet Options > General. Set the home page you want and apply the change.

If the setting immediately reverts, do not keep rewriting it. Continue with the checks below.

3. Reset Internet Explorer settings on the legacy PC

Internet Explorer included a reset option under Internet Options > Advanced. Resetting can disable add-ons and restore browser defaults.

Before resetting a managed work PC, check with the administrator because browser settings might be enforced by policy.

4. Scan for unwanted software

If the home page, search provider, or shortcut keeps being rewritten, scan the computer with the security software available for that legacy Windows installation. Also uninstall unknown browser toolbars or programs that appeared around the same time as the problem.

5. Check policy before editing the registry

On business PCs, Group Policy can intentionally lock the home page or search provider. A locked setting is not necessarily malware.

The previous version of this guide instructed readers to alter or delete several HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Internet Explorer and SearchScopes values. Those broad registry edits are no longer recommended here because they can remove legitimate enterprise configuration and are unnecessary in many cases.

Use Microsoft Edge where possible

If a legacy business site still requires Internet Explorer technology, Microsoft provides IE mode in Microsoft Edge for supported scenarios.

Official references

• Microsoft Internet Explorer help / retirement notice: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/internet-explorer-help
• Microsoft Edge IE mode: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/internet-explorer-mode-in-microsoft-edge