Do you remember the early days of the internet? Since the 1990s, it’s been open to everyone — not just researchers. Back then, the very first websites were basic — a complete contrast to today. Now, everything’s interactive, dynamic, and looks great. A key driver behind this development is JavaScript. Read on to learn how to enable JavaScript, why it’s important, and what the potential pitfalls are. Also discover how to use Avira Browser Safety to make your internet browser even more secure and improve your protection against threats and tracking.
What is JavaScript?
Let’s start with the basics: What exactly is JavaScript? Developed by Netscape in 1995, JavaScript (JS for short) is a widely used programming and scripting language. With it, operators can integrate dynamic HTML elements into otherwise static websites. This allows small programs to be executed and displayed directly in the browser regardless of the platform — typically animations or interactive elements. The goal of JavaScript is to enhance the user experience and interaction, and make websites feel more alive.
Normally you don’t need to enable JavaScript as it’s built into all browsers. If you do need to enable it manually, read on to learn how to quickly and conveniently turn on JavaScript in your browser.
Why you should enable JavaScript — and why not
Let’s be honest: Most internet users give little thought to how their browser works and what’s happening behind the scenes. The main thing is that the pages are displayed quickly and correctly. A key driver behind delivering the best user experience is JavaScript. There are many advantages to using this scripting language — but also some disadvantages.
Why you should enable JavaScript
As mentioned, JavaScript is required by most websites to display and load web pages smoothly. Many of the modern ways to display content and the latest website features require the script to run to provide a better and more user-friendly browsing experience as well as to load content and features correctly.
So what happens if you disable JavaScript in your browser? You’ll find that most pages are unusable. In addition, you’ll notice they’ll become less user friendly and unusable. That said, for websites that rely exclusively on HTML and CSS elements, you don’t have to worry about any negative impacts. These primarily include blogs and websites that increasingly rely on static, text-based content.
The pros of JavaScript at a glance:
- Visuals: Dynamic elements and animations give websites a modern, appealing appearance.
- Use: Visitors benefit from intuitive, user-friendly navigation through the pages.
- Low server load: Since JavaScript runs on your own computer in most cases, it doesn’t put as much strain on the web server. This means that less data is exchanged between your computer and the server, which ultimately reduces the cost of running the server.
What are the pitfalls of JavaScript
There are many good reasons why you should enable JavaScript. But what are the pitfalls of executing the scripting language?
JavaScript interprets and executes the website’s JavaScript code on your computer. This happens behind the scenes without you having to do anything. This also reveals the greatest danger of JavaScript: Numerous processes run in the background that you as a user are unaware of. Totally unknown to you, code is downloaded and executed without you needing to do anything.
It’s precisely because of this that makes JavaScript so convenient. However, convenience also comes at the price of potentially limited security and privacy. That’s because cybercriminals can manipulate websites and inject code that gives them access to your computer.
It’s therefore extremely important that you always keep your browser up to date. This closes any security holes promptly and reduces the risk of cybercrime.
The cons of JavaScript at a glance:
- Security and privacy: JavaScript interprets and executes code snippets from the internet in the background without you as a user having to take any action. This means that you may end up catching malware on malicious websites or through manipulated JavaScript code. This can change how your computer behaves or provide access to sensitive, personal data.
- Frustrating website elements: JavaScript not only makes the internet more attractive but also a little more cluttered. Pop-ups in particular are really annoying and can impact the user experience.
- Higher computer load: Since JavaScript runs on your own computer in most cases, low memory might sap your computer’s performance.
We recommend Avira Free Security if you want to improve your computer’s protection against the most common cyberthreats. In just a few clicks, you can boost the security of your PC and make it more difficult for hackers and cybercriminals to access it. You can also clean your computer and identify and remove outdated programs.
A little detour: Browser fingerprinting
For the sake of completeness, we’d like to point out here that JavaScript also allows browser fingerprinting. This creates a unique fingerprint of the browser, the technical devices, and therefore also of the user — all without using conventional tracking methods such as cookies.
Using JavaScript, websites collect information about you to display the web content correctly. You can’t hide this information even by using a VPN or your browser’s private or incognito mode. This information includes the operating system, language and graphics settings, fonts, your monitor size or screen resolution, and connected keyboards and gamepads.
Step by step guide to enabling JavaScript in your browser
Would you like to enable or disable JavaScript? The following overview shows you how to customize the settings in the browser of your choice.
Enabling JavaScript in Chrome
- Open Chrome
- Click More options (the icon with the three dots) on the top right of the browser window
- Click Settings — Privacy and security — Site settings — JavaScript
- Select the option Sites can use JavaScript
- Restart the browser
Enabling JavaScript in Firefox
- Open Firefox
- Enter about.config in the address bar and then hit the Enter key
- Confirm that you accept the risk
- Enter javascript.enabled in the search field
- Double-click to change the parameter to either True (enabled) or False (disabled). Alternatively, you can press the double arrow on the far right of the screen once
- Restart the browser
Enabling JavaScript in Edge (successor to Internet Explorer)
- Open Edge
- Click More options (the icon with the three dots) on the top right of the browser window
- Click Settings
- Click Cookies and site permissions — JavaScript
- Set the slider to Allowed (recommended)
- Restart the browser
Enabling JavaScript in Safari
- Open Safari
- Click the gear icon
- Choose Preferences — Security — Web content
- Tick the option Enable JavaScript
- Restart the browser
Enabling JavaScript in Opera
- Open Opera
- In the Settings menu, navigate to Privacy and security and click Site settings
- Click JavaScript and select Sites can use JavaScript
- Restart the browser
How do I enable JavaScript on my smartphone?
You can enable JavaScript on Android devices or iPhone by going to the browser settings and following the above steps. You might sometimes come across slight variations and different menu items, but in general these instructions should help you customize your JavaScript settings.
How to tell if JavaScript is working in your browser
There are basically two ways to find out if JavaScript is enabled and working properly in your browser.
- Problems with websites: JavaScript might be deactivated if you notice that pages are displayed incorrectly or features are missing or don’t work.
- Browser settings: The quickest way to find out if JavaScript is enabled is to check your browser settings as described.
Surf the internet more securely with Avira Browser Safety
Want to enable JavaScript but without putting your privacy and data security at risk? With Avira Browser Safety, you can surf more securely and protect your browser from dangerous websites, infected ads, and unwanted tracking.
The free plugin also blocks intrusive and potentially malicious ads, plus it detects unwanted applications in your downloads. It also helps you find the best deals when shopping.