How do I turn off the "AutoComplete" feature in IE5?

Answer

This question was answered on February 14, 2000. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

The feature that you are referring to is something called “AutoComplete”. You did not say which browser that you are using but I will assume that it is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer since it is the most common one. The AutoComplete feature is a very useful one that remembers things that you have previously typed when using the browser and “offers” them to you when you start typing something on your address bar or any form on a web site. For instance, if you have typed in your zip code, 85207, at any website at any time in the past, the next time that you type the first character or two (ex:85) the entire zip code will “magically” appear in a window just below the area in which you are typing. Your options are to ignore the windows and continue type or you can press the down arrow or click with your mouse on the entry of choice. This feature can be turned on and off via your browsers Internet Options. To turn off this feature, do the following (these are the steps for Internet Explorer 5.X): Open your browser and click on the “Tools” menu, then on “Internet Options”. This will open an Internet Options window with six tabs across the top. Click on the “Content” tab then look for the “AutoComplete” button and click on it. The options for Web Addresses, Forms and User names and passwords on forms will appear with a check mark in front of each. If you remove the checkmark from the desired option(s), the AutoComplete feature will no longer work. The first one, Web Addresses, works with your Address bar only. I find this one to be especially helpful because it allows you to go back to an exact page that you previously visited without having to go through the numerous clicks required if you did not know how you got there. It is also helpful to getting to pages that still exist, but no longer have a link to them from the original site. The second option, Forms, deals with any and all forms on any and all websites. This is very helpful for those that are avid on-line shoppers or if you find yourself filling out lots of forms. The third item, User names and passwords on forms, should be turned off if multiple users have access to the same computer. This will keep another user of the same machine from getting to private sites or web based information.

You will also notice that a couple of other buttons exist below the options, labeled “Clear forms” and “Clear passwords”. Use these buttons to clear all previously entered information for each of the areas. This is how you tell your computer to forget what you have done in the past!

Question

Answer

Author

Free Computer Tips