Microsoft released a bunch of security fixes this Patch Tuesday, and the company also snuck in a few updates and performance solutions. One update actually disables the Enhanced Protected Mode in Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 8.1.
The feature is now disabled by default, with Redmond explaining that it had previously enabled this mode in order to receive and collect data and feedback about sites using add-ons that were not compatible with the latest version of its web browser.
But now with the final version of Windows 8.1 out in the wild, and available to everyone, Microsoft has enough information about incompatible websites, and the feature can now be safely disabled.
In a newly posted notification, Microsoft explained:
“This update changes the default setting in Internet Explorer 11 for the desktop to disable Enhanced Protected Mode. During the preview releases of Windows 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11, we enabled Enhanced Protected Mode by default in both the desktop and immersive modes of Internet Explorer.
This was done so that we could receive feedback and data about sites that use add-ons that are incompatible with Enhanced Protected Mode.”
Nevertheless, the software titan does recommend users to keep the Enhanced Protected Mode on, if they find that their browsing experience is affected when loading certain websites that make use of plugins that are not yet working on Internet Explorer 11.
The setting is available in the Internet Options panel in Internet Explorer, by the way.
