IE11 prevents ActiveX from running

Question

Our web browser plugin works fine in IE9 and IE10 but in IE11 the plugin is neither recognized as an add-on or allowed to run. It's as if IE11 no longer supports ActiveX.

Surely there is a workaround but what do we need to change?

NOTE: this questions is asked as the developer of the plugin and not the end-user who might need to correct IE settings!

Root

Share the link. If the page is live somewhere. – Uxorious

Unfortunately, in my opinion your best solution is to rewrite your solution so that it does not use ActiveX. You will have a very hard time supporting it now and into the future. Currently, for users of IE versions that are older than 10, they have to make sure to use IE 32-bit for the ActiveX to function properly. I believe ActiveX does not work on Mobile. Additionally, Microsoft has stated that ActiveX will not be supported on MS Edge. – Telegraphone

Without ActiveX plugin support is useless because without ActiveX the plugin is powerless to interact with the system and do its job. The only good solution was to create a new browser that provided proper plugin support and that we have done. – Root

The solutions shown below do not address the problem at all. The posters have not understood the question. They should be deleted! – Root

your question, asked from the standpoint of the developer is understandable, but is as you have probably discovered, unrealistic. You are asking what can be done, by you as a developer to overcome something that was put there intentionally (by design), without the end user doing anything. – Varsity

Intentionally by design? We are talking about dropping support for real plugins, ie: plugins that can interact at system level. How many ActiveX solutions designed to run in the browser space have been derailed? Who can call that intelligent design when no solution is available for reputable developers to continue their service and livelihood? – Root

Old thread, but it's intelligent design because ActiveX was an insecure mess used consistently as an attack vector for spreading malware and other unpleasantness. It rightly belongs in the past. As a website developer you should have no business trying to get access to the device on which the browser is running. If you think you need that, then you need to redesign your software architecture – Fusty

Yes, it is an old thread. But there is still a place for system level interactive plugins. Sure, by now NPAPI has been dropped by Chrome and its clones, but that is mainly because they always had a problem supporting them. Also, their eyes are on mobile only. We still use browser plugins for displaying encrypted PDF and video, but visitors need to use the ArtisBrowser. – Root

Those plugins just display files though. They don't attempt to save things to the user's disk, or run programs, or install things. Big difference in behaviour. There's nothing wrong with plugins as such, it's what they are allowed to do which is the issue. ActiveX was far too powerful, and users who didn't understand the consequences could easily have something nasty installed on their computer without even noticing. – Fusty

Wrong. Our plugins do a lot more than that, starting with computer identification by hard drive serial number and then preventing screen capture. Now you may next suggest that that is undesirable, but you would have to convince the clients that use these solutions to protect their intellectual property. You either abide by their requirements or go away. AS for the decryption routines, they need to be packaged so that they cannot be easily extracted. Ppapi plugins are lame because they are based on HTML and JavaScript which provides no protection for the source. – Root

Ok but again I would think the key difference is that presumably these plugins are installed automatically within a controlled corporate environment and you don't try to push them via a public website? Correct me if I'm wrong. The problem with ActiveX more broadly is that it was included by default and often enabled by default, and therefore users might not have even known that a page was making use of it, and doing something nefarious. – Fusty

Now if people are using ActiveX plugins to protect intellectual property as you suggest, I assume it's for license monitoring purposes? Most organisations seem to have found other ways to accomplish that kind of thing within the environment of the modern web (minus ActiveX) - either technological or legal solutions. I don't know your specific market etc but it ought to be possible to come up with a different model which doesn't rely on insecure and outdated tech. – Fusty

The problem with ActiveX was it was too easy to make plugins for malicious purposes. Not much skill was required. We used to use ActiveX because some clients wished their content accessible by IE. But when IE dropped browser support we were most pleased because IE was never ideal for copy protection... they kept changing things without warning. – Root

Then again, because Chrome and its copy cats have since dropped support for Npapi plugins we are even more please because now clients can't be weak and allow access from browsers that were designed to exploit web media. Now our clients must use the ArtisBrowser, which was purposely designed from the ground up to protect data and media. Now their web content is 1000% more secure. – Root

@Root - The answers below may not suit your question, but as it was vague on what was tried it may quite well fit others who visit this page who have other "ActiveX isn't working" issues. I don't see how having them as answers here hurts, so thankfully they won't be going anywhere. – Persephone

Answer 1

IE displays a active x warning and ask for permission if you allow it to run or not. To overcome this the only solution is to;

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options.
3. On the Security tab, click the Custom level button.
4. Scroll down the Security Settings list until you see ActiveX controls and plug-ins.
5. For Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls, click Enable.
6. Scroll down to Download signed ActiveX controls and click Enable or Prompt.
7. Scroll down to Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins and click Enable or Prompt.
8. Scroll down to Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting and click Enable or Prompt.
9. Click OK, and then click OK again.

There is no way to overcome this issue except changing manually Internet explorer settings. Try checking if plugin works fine while changed settings. If its still not working or not showing any warning is display try checking console for other errors which are not related to active x. Good luck!

Uxorious

This not about changing settings in IE. It is about creating an ActiveX that will be recognised by IE11. because if it is not recognised then changing settings is of no use. In fact there will be no prompts or anything. – Root

This post is not related to the specific question. – Root

It is not a case of adding anything or making any changes to any settings because it is the every day noobs that need to run the ActiveX from a default Windows settings and default browser settings. Unless it will run out of the box it is useless as a browser add-on. – Root

Answer 2

Does IE11 displays any message relative to the blocked execution of your ActiveX ?

You should read this and this.

Use the following JS function to detect support of ActiveX :

function IsActiveXSupported() {
    var isSupported = false;

    if(window.ActiveXObject) {
        return true;
    }

    if("ActiveXObject" in window) {
        return true;
    }

    try {
        var xmlDom = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
        isSupported = true;
    } catch (e) {
        if (e.name === "TypeError" || e.name === "Error") {
            isSupported = true;
        }
    }

    return isSupported;
}

Osier

If the plugin is not recognised as an add-on it will not be allowed to run, so JavaScript detection has no relevance. It's not about detecting in my browser but getting the add-on recognised and allowed to run in all IE11 browsers... for all users. We have tested with EPM disabled. In fact we have been trying to find a resolve since Windows 8 was released... it's nothing new like "out-of-date" detection that is causing the problem. – Root

This post is not related to the specific question. – Root

Answer 3

There is no solution to this problem. As of IE11 on Windows 8, Microsoft no longer allows ActiveX plugins to run in its browser space. There is absolutely nothing that a third party developer can do about it.

A similar thing has recently happened with the Chrome browser which no longer supports NPAPI plugins. Instead Chrome only supports PPAPI plugins which are useless for system level tasks once performed by NPAPI plugins.

So developers needing browser support for system interactive plugins can only recommend either the Firefox browser or the ASPS web browser.

Root

This is misinformation WilliamK and you shouldn't be perpetuating it (maybe you're confusing Edge w/ IE11). I know for a fact that it's possible, since I'm using IE11 (32-bit) on Win10 (64-bit) and have an ActiveX control running. IIRC, one of the steps I took was adding website in Compatibility View Settings. – Gorski

Well that will have to be an exception then. But what efforts were required to get it to run and which versions of browser? But the problem persists, and that is getting the public to install and run an ActiveX in their browser. Most don't even know what a web browser is or what type they use even though they use one every day. In fact as of late last year, all popular browsers dropped support for real plugins so the quest is by now no longer necessary. – Root

Here's a link that confirms: IE11 still supports Active-X. – Uretic

If this does indeed work and not just an old recipe, it is still useless because if it does not work by default then it is most useless because site owners cannot expect anyone (not any one!) to make complex adjustments before they can access their web page. – Root

@MarkG - There's a page with ActiveX that I can run fine in IE11 under Win 8.1, but it does not run in IE11 under Win 10. I have done all the steps related to allowing unsigned Active X to no avail. I tried added it as a trusted site. What else is there? – Canopus

Take a look at Use ActiveX controls for IE 11 and IE 10. Did you also add site to compatibility view settings? Is your site on local intranet or internet? Are you running 32-bit or 64-bit IE? – Gorski

It is not a case of adding anything or making any changes to any settings because it is the every day noobs that need to run the ActiveX from a default Windows settings and default browser settings. Unless it will run out of the box it is useless as a browser add-on. – Root

Answer 4

Here's how I got it working:

1. Include your URL in IE Trusted Sites

2. run gpedit.msc (as Admin) and enable the following setting:

gpedit->Local->Computer->Windows Comp->ActiveX Installer->ActiveX installation policy for sites in Trusted Zones

Enabled + Silently,Silently,Prompt

3. Run gpupdate

4. Relaunch your Browser

NOTES: Windows 10 EDGE don't have trusted sites, so you have to use IE 11. Lots of folk moaning about that!

Xeroderma

This is of no use. The plugin is used by hundreds of websites and they cannot be expected to bother with this procedure even if it did work, but it doesn't because IE no longer allows ActiveX to run in their browser space. In fact as of lat last year, no popular web browsers allow any real plugins to run in their browser space. So the only browser that can support real plugins, ie: plugins not simply html/javascript, is the ArtistScope web browser. – Root

We embedded tsweb in an IE anonymous Browser product on company intanet. It works IE11/Windows 10. Edge has no Trusted sites as I said. You have to inform your customers ! Good luck. – Xeroderma

There is no solution for this that can be deployed with the plugin. That's the point. In the end we had to require that our users install the ArtistScope web browser which is the only modern browser that still supports real plugins. – Root

Answer 5

We started finding some machines with IE 11 not playing video (via flash) after we set the emulation mode of our app (web browser control) to 110001. Adding the meta tag to our htm files worked for us.

Curling

IE no longer allows ActiveX to interact with its browser space. In fact no modern web browsers allow real plugins (more than just HTML and JavaScript) as of late 2015, except for the ArtistScope browser. – Root

@Root - Please stop with the "real" plugins. A plugin is a plugin if it plugs in and provides any increased functionality to the browser. The issue you are facing is the ever more increased default tightening of ActiveX (quite rightly so), IE's exposure of the local system to potentially any website that the user decides to browse. This is a huge security concern. – Persephone

@Persephone - what I consider a "real" plugin is what can interact at system level. If it cannot do that what use it? Consequently it is merely an extension or an app in mobile terms, based on JavaScript and HTML that do nothing of any consequence. – Root

@Root - There is many plugins that I use that don't interact at a system level, nor do they need to in order provide my desired functionality. Anything I need system level access for I use a program, not a plugin. – Persephone

@Persephone - this topic is old and dates back to a time when users could install plugins for their web browsers that could action at system level. ActiveX was the first to be outlawed in Msoft browsers. Then NPAPI was outlawed by Chrome and most other Mozilla browsers followed suit. Sure you can use applications at system level, but you cannot use them in a web browser space. Some web browsers still support NPAPI thankfully. – Root

@Root - I think we have reached the ideal ending point of this debate. Browsers compiled from generic code, or those that are only recommended for use for specific purposes, is what it seems we agree should be the solution to your original question; Not browsers that a used by the majority of the web browsing public, who can be taken advantage of by system level access of a plugin. – Persephone

Answer 6

Try this tag on the pages that use the ActiveX control:

<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE10">

Note: this has to be the very first element in the <head> section.

Polyptych

That is no use because IE11 does not support ActiveX at all. – Root

@Root - Wrong See support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/… – Persephone

Answer 7

In my IE11, works normally. Version: 11.306.10586.0

We can test if ActiveX works at IE, in this site: http://www.pcpitstop.com/testax.asp

Stapes

That looks like a simple class action. Try installing and running an ActiveX that can interact with the Windows system... on a new installation - IE11 on a default install of Windows 8 or 10, ie: one that was not upgraded from IE10. – Root