# About security zones

You can use security zones to specify how you want Microsoft Internet Explorer to download applications and files from different Web sites. Assigning a Web site to a zone lets you specify a level of security based on your level of confidence. Then, when you open or download content from a Web site, Internet Explorer uses the security settings you specified for the site’s zone. The zone of the current Web page appears on the Status Bar.

You can divide your Internet world into four security zones:

- Internet zone This zone includes any Web site that is not on your computer, on an intranet, or assigned to another zone. The default security level for this zone is medium, which means Internet Explorer will warn you if you are about to open or download potentially damaging files.
- Trusted sites zone This zone includes sites you trust — that is, sites you believe you can download or open files from without worrying about damage to files on your computer. The default security level for this zone is low, which means Internet Explorer will not warn you if you are about to open or download potentially damaging files. You can add Web sites to this zone.
- Restricted sites zone This zone includes sites you don’t trust — that is, sites you’re not sure whether you can download or open files from without damaging files on your computer. The default security level for this zone is high, which means Internet Explorer will not open or download potentially damaging files. You can add Web sites to this zone.
- Local intranet zone This zone only includes sites on your local intranet, or sites that don’t require a proxy server, as set up by your system administrator. (Intranet site addresses typically don’t contain periods, such as “http://internal/”) The default security level for this zone is medium, which means Internet Explorer will warn you if you are about to open or download potentially damaging files. You can add Web sites to this zone.

You can change the security level of each zone, and you can customize a zone’s security level by choosing the permission options you want. For example, if you’re confident that anything you download from your corporate intranet is safe, you can set the security level for your local intranet zone to low. That way, you can download files without receiving security alerts. Alternatively, for the Internet zone and the restricted sites zone, you may want to set the security levels to medium or high to see a warning before you open or download potentially damaging files or to prevent opening or downloading these files altogether.

Related topics

Adding a Web site to a zone

Changing a zone’s security level

About certificates and security alerts

Change a zone’s security level

1. On the Explorer menu, click Preferences.
2. Under Web Browser, click Security Zones.
3. On the Zone pop-up menu, click the zone.
4. Click the security level you want.

   For help on an option, click .

Related topics

About security zones

Adding a Web site to a zone

Add a Web site to a zone

1. On the Explorer menu, click Preferences.
2. Under Web Browser, click Security Zones.
3. On the Zone pop-up menu, click Local intranet zone, Trusted sites zone, or Restricted sites zone.
4. Click Add Sites.
5. If you’re adding a Web site to the local intranet zone, select the options you want, and then click Advanced.
6. Click Add.
7. Type the address of the Web site you want to add, and then click OK.
8. Click OK.

| You can not add a Web site to the Internet zone. The Internet zone includes any address that is not on your computer, on an intranet, or assigned to another zone.

Related topics

About security zones

Changing a zone’s security level

Remove a Web site from a zone

1. On the Explorer menu, click Preferences.
2. Under Web Browser, click Security Zones.
3. On the Zone pop-up menu, click Local intranet zone, Trusted sites zone, or Restricted sites zone.
4. Click Add Sites.
5. If you’re removing a Web site from the local intranet zone, click Advanced.
6. Click the Web site you want to remove, and then click Remove.
7. Click OK.

| You can not remove a Web site from the Internet zone. The Internet zone includes any address that is not on your computer, on an intranet, or assigned to another zone.

Related topics

About security zones

Changing a zone’s security level