Every once in a while, Internet Explorer resets the toolbar layout and I need to customize them that way I want, every time this happens. I have Google Toolbar and the default Links toolbar enabled, which I have docked to the extreme right, showing only the chevron. Occasionally Internet Explorer (or probably one of the browser add-ons) resets the toolbar positions, pushing the Links toolbar to a separate line and thus occupying additional screen real estate. This happens even though the toolbars are in locked state.

Here is what I did to prevent this problem from occurring.

Internet Explorer toolbar layout preferences are stored in the following registry key:

By denying "write" permission to the above key for your user account, you can lock down the custom toolbar layout in Internet Explorer. Before following the steps listed below, don’t forget to customize the layout as you’d like.

Deny Write Permissions for the WebBrowser key

1. Click Start, Run type Regedit.exe

2. Navigate to the WebBrowser registry branch mentioned previously

3. From the Edit menu, click Permissions…

4. Click Advanced

5. Click Add

6. Type your user name in the Select User or Group box, click OK

7. Click the Deny checkbox for Set Value Permission

8. Click OK, OK

9. Click Yes when you see the following confirmation message:

10. Click OK to close the Permissions dialog box.

After doing the above, Internet Explorer preserves the custom toolbar positions in my system correctly!

Important note to users who follow the above method:  When you plan to add or remove third-party toolbar in future, make sure that you first reverse the above Permission changes. Otherwise, install/uninstall process may fail.

See also

Internet Explorer Toolbar settings not saved?

Copyright © 2008 Ramesh Srinivasan. All rights reserved.