How to Disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration in Windows Server 2016

Bypass the Barriers: How to Disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration on Windows Server (2016/2012)

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If you’ve been spending any time working with Windows Server 2016 or 2012, you know that setting things up often means downloading necessary tools and accessing administrative web panels. And if you’ve tried to do any of that using Internet Explorer, you’ve almost certainly run into the wall of frustration known as the Enhanced Security Configuration.

That annoying pop-up: “Content from the website listed below is being blocked by internet explorer” stops you in your tracks every few seconds.

While this setting is there for a good reason (security!), it can be overly restrictive, especially when setting up a fresh environment or performing necessary administrative tasks.

Fortunately, disabling it is quick and painless. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the precise steps to disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC) on your Windows Server installation, freeing you up to get back to work!

What is IE Enhanced Security Configuration?

By default, modern versions of Windows Server, including Server 2016 and 2012, have IE Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC) enabled.

Its primary purpose is to protect your server—which should be a locked-down, mission-critical machine—from internet-based threats. It does this by drastically reducing Internet Explorer’s capabilities, limiting scripts, blocking content, and generally forcing you to whitelist everything manually.

While this high level of protection is useful in a production environment where you never need to browse the web, it becomes a massive headache during setup or when utilizing administrative tools that rely on web access (like navigating a local intranet page or using specific vendor consoles).

Should You Disable IE ESC? (A Quick Note on Security)

Before proceeding, a quick word of caution: Disabling IE Enhanced Security Configuration does reduce the default security posture of your server.

Recommendation: Only disable IE ESC if you absolutely need to browse the internet from the server itself for configuration or testing. If the server is going to be used solely for its primary role (e.g., domain controller, file share) and you won’t be using its local browser, consider leaving the setting enabled for maximum protection.

If you are like most IT professionals, however, you need temporary or permanent access to get your job done. Let’s disable it!

Step-by-Step Guide: Disabling IE Enhanced Security Configuration

The process for turning off this restrictive setting is performed directly within the Server Manager dashboard. This guide applies directly to Windows Server 2016 and is very similar for Server 2012.

Step 1: Open Server Manager

First, open the Server Manager. This should launch automatically when you log into your server, but if it doesn’t, you can find it pinned to the taskbar or by searching the Start Menu.

Step 2: Navigate to Local Server Settings

In the left-hand navigation pane of the Server Manager, click on Local Server.

This view shows you a dashboard summarizing all the key configurations of the current machine, including Firewall status, NIC teaming, and Windows Defender settings.

Step 3: Locate the Enhanced Security Setting

In the Properties panel on the right side of the Local Server view, look for the line labeled IE Enhanced Security Configuration.

By default, this setting will show as On.

Step 4: Change the Configuration to ‘Off’

Click directly on the On link next to the “IE Enhanced Security Configuration” heading.

A new configuration window will pop up, giving you the option to change the setting for two groups:

Administrators
Users

To completely solve the problem for the majority of users (including yourself, when logged in as an administrator):

Select Off for Administrators.
Select Off for Users.

Pro Tip: If you only need to disable it for your own administrative account and want to keep standard users restricted, only set “Administrators” to Off.

Step 5: Apply and Confirm

Click OK to apply the changes.

The setting in the Local Server dashboard will instantly update from On to Off.

You can now open Internet Explorer and navigate to sites without being harassed by the “content is being blocked” pop-ups. You have successfully disabled Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration!

Conclusion: Take Back Control of Your Server!

That’s all there is to it! In just five simple steps within the Server Manager, you’ve removed one of the most annoying hurdles in Windows Server administration. Now you can download tools, access internal resources, and manage web-based consoles without constant interruptions.

Go ahead, try browsing now—it’s a breath of fresh air!

If this tutorial helped you get past those persistent security warnings, please hit that Like button on the video and Subscribe to Darren’s Tech Tutorials for more clear, actionable guides just like this one. If you have any questions or are running into trouble, drop a comment below. Happy administration!