How to Download Active X Control to a Computer

Downloading ActiveX controls is one way to keep your browser up to date.

ActiveX controls are small bits of software that install themselves into your Internet browser. These small programs can improve your web surfing experience by allowing various sites to perform certain actions on your system, such as animation, security updates or the creation of interactive menus. Installing ActiveX controls is fairly straightforward.

Things You'll Need

• Internet Explorer

Instructions

1. Visit whichever site is attempting to install ActiveX controls to your browser. Common functionalities for ActiveX are installing animation, viewing embedded files or gathering data.

2. Examine the area of your browser that falls just under the address bar. You should see a message regarding the site's desire to install ActiveX controls.

3. Check to ensure that the website you are visiting is a legitimate and trusted company. ActiveX controls will give websites access to some of your personal information and should only be installed if you trust the source.

4. Click the message to open the install menu and select "Install ActiveX Control." The software will download and install to your browser.

Tips & Warnings

• ActiveX controls are, for the most part, optional. Microsoft's recommended rule is if you don't absolutely need an ActiveX control for your daily computer life, don't install it.

• Never allow any website to install ActiveX controls without fully investigating the site and the publisher. Malicious ActiveX controls could be a threat to your personal information and system stability. See Microsoft's "How to recognize spoofed Web sites" in "Resources" for more information on verifying websites.

References

• Microsoft Support: ActiveX Controls
• Microsoft Support: What is an ActiveX control?

Resources

• Microsoft Support: How to recognize spoofed Web sites