How to Enable JavaScript

JavaScript is a programming language for the World Wide Web. JavaScript programs are downloaded along with Web pages and run on your computer. Web programmers can include JavaScript programs to make using their Web pages easier. JavaScript can enable links, edit data, help you fill in forms, and do many other useful things. Most complex sites, like Internet e-commerce and banking sites, use JavaScript.

JavaScript is fundamentally safe. The programmers who designed JavaScript deliberately omitted the ability to write to your disk or do other things that could damage your computer. JavaScript has been abused to open unwanted windows or change the page you're viewing in unwanted ways. These things are annoying, but not truly damaging. Modern browsers intercept and prevent the worst of the annoyances.

However, in Microsoft Internet Explorer only, enabling JavaScript also enables VB Script, Microsoft's proprietary Web scripting language. VB Script does not have the inherent safety features of JavaScript. For that reason, if you use Internet Explorer,you may want to leave VB Script (and JavaScript) turned off unless you need it. Only Internet Explorer can run VB Script programs within the browser. If you use any browser other than Internet Explorer, you do not need to worry about this.

Microsoft Windows

The first thing you must do is determine the browser and version you are using to surf the Web. In the command bar at the extreme top of the browser window, click "Help" and select "About." The "About" panel will tell you the name and version of your browser.

Windows: Mozilla Firefox 1.0 and above

  1. Select the "Tools" menu
  2. Select "Options..."
  3. Click on the "Content" tab.
  4. Click on the "Custom Level."
  5. Enable (check-mark) the "Enable JavaScript" line.
  6. Click "OK."

Windows: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x and above

  1. Select the "Tools" menu
  2. Select "Internet Options..."
  3. Click on the "Security" tab.
  4. Click on the "Custom Level."
  5. Select the "Scripting" section.
  6. Enable (with the radio button) "Active Scripting."
  7. Click "OK."

Windows: Netscape 4.7 and above

  1. Select the "Edit" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences..."
  3. Expand "Advanced" in the Category tree view to the left.
  4. Select "Scripts & Plugins."
  5. Click the option Enable JavaScript for "Navigator."
  6. Click "OK."

Apple Macintosh

The first thing you must do is determine the browser version you are using to surf the Web. In the command bar at the extreme top of the browser window, click program name at the left (e.g. Safari) and select "About." The "About" panel will tell you the version of your browser.

Macintosh OS X: Internet Explorer

  1. Select the "Explorer" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences..."
  3. Expand "Web Browser" option.
  4. Select the "Web Content" option.
  5. Click the option "Enable Scripting."
  6. Click "OK."

Macintosh OS X: Netscape 7.1

  1. Select the "Netscape" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences..."
  3. Expand "Advanced" in the Category tree view to the left.
  4. Select "Scripts & Plugins."
  5. Click the option Enable JavaScript for "Navigator."
  6. Click "OK."

Macintosh OS 9 and below: Internet Explorer 5 and above

  1. Select the "Edit" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences..."
  3. Expand "Web Browser" option.
  4. Select the "Web Content" option
  5. Click the option "Enable Scripting."
  6. Click "OK."

Linux

These were tested under SuSE Linux, but should work the same way under other distributions.

Linux: Mozilla 5.0 Firefox 1.5.0.4

  1. Select the "Edit" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences"
  3. Click "Content" section of the selector at the top of the "Preferences" window.
  4. Enable ("x" mark) the "Enable JavaScript" line.
  5. Click "Advanced" button on "Enable JavaScript" line.
  6. Choose which of the five "Allow scripts to:" actions to enable. (Click "Help" button for more information, if needed.)
  7. Click "Close".

Linux: Konqueror 3.5.1

  1. Select the "Settings" menu.
  2. Select "Configure Konqueror"
  3. Click "Java & JavaScript" section of the selector on the left of the Configure window.
  4. Select "Java" tab.
  5. Enable ("x" mark) the "Enable Java globally" line if you wish to turn Java support on for all web sites, otherwise: click on "Help" button to learn how to set up "Domain Specific" policies.
  6. Select "JavaScript" tab.
  7. Enable ("x" mark) the "Enable JavaScript globally" line if you wish to turn Java support on for all web sites, otherwise: click on "Help" button to learn how to set up "Domain Specific" policies.
  8. Select (with the radio button) which of the five "JavaScript Policies" you wish to allow, ask, deny o ignore.
  9. Click "Apply".
  10. Click "OK".

Linux: Mozilla 5.0 SeaMonkey 1.0.2

  1. Select the "Edit" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences"
  3. Click "Advanced" menu.
  4. Enable (check-mark) the "Enable Java" line.
  5. Expand the "Advanced" in the Category tree view to the left.
  6. Select "Scripts & Plugins."
  7. Click the option Enable JavaScript for "Navigator."
  8. Click which of the six "Allow scripts to:" options to (check-mark) enable.
  9. Click "OK".

Linux Epiphany 1.8.5

  1. Select the "Edit" menu.
  2. Select "Preferences"
  3. Select "Advanced" menu.
  4. Click "Privacy" tab.
  5. Enable (check-mark) the "Enable Java" line.
  6. Enable (check-mark) the "Enable JavaScript" line.
  7. Click "Close".

Help us improve these instructions. If you spot errors, or you have instructions for a browser not listed here, please send us a note: Bob dot Brown at BlueLinkWebs dot com

This page last updated: 2006-07-30 23:48

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