How to Fix Internet Explorer has Stopped Working Manually?

Users get frustrated after receiving an error message that ‘Internet Explorer has stopped working’. It is a common error on Windows 7, 8, 10 and Vista that can occur due to various system glitches. You might encounter this error message when some programs on your PC cannot access specific library files known as DLLs. It happens because DLL files are unable programs to communicate with the PC. As a result, communication fails and applications cease to function when these files are damaged or misplaced. Damaged cache files or incompatible plugins is another probable reason behind this error. Therefore, follow this article if you want to fix this error by yourself.

Methods to Resolve Internet Explorer has Stopped Working Windows 7

Here’s how to stop this error from occurring and get back your favorite contents. If you go through these solutions, then you won’t have to avail technical support to fix this issue. You can confidently apply these solutions to fix internet explorer has stopped working Windows 10 as well.

Method 1: Update Windows and Internet Explorer

Often, this problem goes away with the latest version of Windows and Internet Explorer. Therefore, ensure that your PC has the latest version of Windows and Internet Explorer. If not, then you would need to update them now.

Method 2: Reset the Personal Settings on the PC

It is one of the simplest ways to restore the working of Internet Explorer. Only make a note that resetting your personal settings would delete all your browsing history, disable added toolbars, reset the homepage, and erase all saved passwords. Therefore, you can save the passwords to an external device or simply note them down. Moreover, Windows might prompt you to log back into all your websites.

1. So, launch Internet Explorer on your PC and click ‘Tools’ on the navigation pane.
2. Choose ‘Internet Options’ from the submenu and click the ‘Advanced’ tab on the next window.
3. Check the ‘Delete Personal Settings’ box and tap the ‘Reset’ button at the bottom of the window.
4. Restart your PC and open Internet Explorer to check whether you have solved this problem or not.

Method 3: Disable Add-ons

We have often observed third-party add-ons to cause problems with Internet Explorer. So, disable add-ons by the following steps and try to fix this issue.

1. Open Internet Explorer and navigate to the ‘Tools’ tab at the upper right-hand corner of the window.
2. Click ‘Manage add-ons’ and select ‘All add-ons’ to see the add-ons currently installed on your PC.
3. Right-click on each add-on and disable them individually.
4. Close all the existing windows of Internet Explorer to reset it.
5. Now, launch Internet Explorer and check whether the problem is solved or not.

Method 4: Reset Security Zones of Internet Explorer

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer follows a strict set of security rules to access the internet. When these rules break down, problems occur with the software. As a result, the browser stops functioning properly. So, let’s make an attempt to resolve this issue by resetting the security zones.

1. Launch the Internet Explorer and expand the ‘Tools’ menu.
2. Choose ‘Internet Options’ and click the ‘Security’ tab on the popup window.
3. Click the ‘Reset all zones to default level’ link at the bottom of the window.
4. Quit Internet Explorer and restart Windows to let the changes take effect.
5. Open Internet Explorer and search for something to check whether the browser is working or not.

Method 6: Disable Software Acceleration

Internet Explorer might use the hardware acceleration or GPU rendering to improve your browsing experience. Some of the computers perform well when the GPU rendering option is enabled while others won’t. Thus, the problem might occur if your system isn’t configured correctly or facing graphical issues. So, disable the software acceleration to determine whether it was causing this problem or not.

1. Launch Internet Explorer from the Start menu and move your way to the ‘Tools’ menu.
2. Choose ‘Internet Options’ under ‘Tools’ to access the next window.
3. Click the ‘Advanced’ tab and navigate to ‘Accelerations Graphics’.
4. Make sure that the ‘Use software rendering’ option is unchecked instead of the ‘GPU rendering’ option.
5. Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ to confirm the changes you have made in settings.
6. Restart your PC and launch Internet Explorer to check the status of the problem.
7. If the problem persists, then proceed to the next method.

Method 7: Reinstall Java, Flash Player, Silverlight

These programs are found to be interrupting with Internet Explorer. Therefore, uninstall them to check whether the problem lies with them or not. Go to the Start menu and open the Control Panel or search for it in the search bar. Locate ‘Programs’ and click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link. Find out Java from the list of available programs installed on your PC. Then, right-click on it and select ‘Uninstall’ to remove this program. Click ‘Yes’ on the popup wizards to continue. It is going to uninstall Java soon from your PC. Repeat these steps to uninstall Flash Player and Silverlight as well.

Method 8: Reset Windows

Internet Explorer might stop working if the problem lies deep within the Windows.dll files. Hence, reset the Windows Operating System and check whether it works or not. It is to inform you that resetting the Operating System would roll your installation back to default settings. To be more specific, changes made to any programs would be canceled as well. Though Windows assure to protect the files and data stored on your PC, it’s a safer option to keep a backup. Follow the steps mentioned below in order to reset your PC.

1. Type ‘Reset this PC’ in the Windows search bar and press ‘Enter’.
2. When prompted, choose either a soft or a hard reset and follow the on-screen pop-up to complete this process.
3. After resetting the Windows Operating System back to its factory default, restart your PC.
4. Launch Internet Explorer and check whether it’s working properly or not.

Note that, a hard reset is a more thorough reset of the Windows Operating System.

Method 9: Reset the Security Zones to Their Defaults

Internet Explorer might have issues if you or an app has changed its security zone settings. Hence, reset the security zones to their default levels and give a try to fix this issue. To do so, press the Windows logo key and ‘R’ simultaneously to launch the Run application. Type ‘inetcpl.cpl’ in it and press ‘Enter’ and you will be redirected to a new window. Go to the ‘Security’ tab and tap the ‘Reset all zones to default level’ button. Hit the ‘OK’ button to confirm this action. Restart your PC and launch Internet Explorer to ensure it’s proper performance.

Method 10: Find the Conflicting ‘DLL’ File

Find the faulty DLL with the help of system logs by the following steps.

1. Right-click on ‘My Computer’ and choose the ‘Manage’ option.
2. Click ‘Event Viewer’ to expand it and choose ‘Windows Logs’.
3. Then, choose ‘Applications’ under ‘Windows Logs’ and check the system logs listed on the right pane.
4. Scroll down, find out a Red Cross Error and double-click on it to get all the details.
5. Find a Red Cross error related to iexplorer.exe and delete that file.
6. Open Internet Explorer and check whether it is working fine or not.
7. Those who are unable to delete the file, reboot the PC in Safe Mode and try to delete the ‘iexplorer.exe’ file.

Method 11: Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer

It is the last method that you can try to fix the non-functional Internet Explorer. It is important to note that this method will close the opened tabs and delete the passwords, as well as, add-ons. You don’t need to worry as this process won’t affect your bookmarks at all.

1. To reinstall Internet Explorer, press the Windows logo key and ‘R’ at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
2. Now, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the Run application and press ‘Enter’.
3. Click ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ option and uncheck the box next to Internet Explorer.
4. Click ‘Yes’ on the popup to confirm the action.  
5. Then, click ‘OK’ and give some time for your PC to turn off the Internet Explorer.
6. Restart the system and open the Run application again.
7. Type ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the Run box and click ‘OK’ to access Windows features.
8. Select ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ option and check the ‘Internet Explorer’ box.
9. Click ‘OK’ and wait until the program turns on.
10. Launch Internet Explorer and check whether it is working or not.

Hope one of these solutions would definitely work for you and restore your browsing experience. Your PC seems to have technical glitches if everything else fails to fix the “Internet Explorer has stopped working” error. In such a situation, you would have no other option than to approach an expert.