What Is Compatibility View in Internet Explorer and Why Is It Used?
Compatibility View in Internet Explorer (IE) resolves rendering issues for older websites designed for legacy browsers. It forces IE to mimic older versions (like IE7) to display pages correctly. This mode is critical for accessing outdated corporate portals or web apps that rely on deprecated coding standards, ensuring functionality without modern browser updates.
How Do You Enable or Disable Compatibility View in IE?
To enable: Open IE > click the gear icon > select “Compatibility View Settings” > add the website URL > click “Add.” To disable: Navigate to the same menu > select the site from the list > click “Remove.” This toggles rendering modes, fixing display glitches or restoring modern features.
For enterprise environments, administrators can enforce these settings through registry edits. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerBrowserEmulation and create new string values for target domains. Users encountering persistent compatibility issues should verify their IE version (via Help > About) matches organizational requirements. Microsoft officially recommends using this feature only as a temporary solution until legacy systems can be upgraded.
| Common Issue | Compatibility View Fix |
|---|---|
| Misaligned page elements | Forces IE7 box model rendering |
| Broken JavaScript functions | Enables legacy JScript engine |
| CSS style conflicts | Ignores modern flex/grid layouts |
Can Compatibility View Impact Website Security or Performance?
Yes. Compatibility View disables modern security protocols like TLS 1.3 and forces older JavaScript engines, increasing exposure to vulnerabilities. Performance may degrade due to inefficient legacy rendering. Prioritize migrating to modern browsers like Edge with IE Mode for safer, faster legacy access.
When enabled, Compatibility View reduces protection against cross-site scripting (XSS) and disables Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in many cases. Performance benchmarks show page load times increase by 15-40% compared to modern rendering modes due to:
- Lack of GPU-accelerated rendering
- Single-threaded JavaScript execution
- Inefficient CSS selector processing
| Feature | Compatibility View | Modern Browsers |
|---|---|---|
| TLS Support | Up to 1.0/1.1 | 1.2/1.3 |
| JS Execution | Chakra v5 | V8/v10+ |
FAQ
- Q: Does Compatibility View work in Microsoft Edge?
- A: No. Edge uses IE Mode for legacy sites, offering fuller IE11 emulation with enhanced security.
- Q: How do I force Compatibility View for all intranet sites?
- A: In IE, enable “Display intranet sites in Compatibility View” under Compatibility View Settings.
- Q: Can Compatibility View be set via registry edits?
- A: Yes. Modify HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerBrowserEmulation to add site domains and specify emulation versions.