How to Secure Internet Explorer for Touch-Screen Kiosk Use?

August 7, 2013

This tutorial is intended for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 9 or newer. These steps will ensure that Your kiosk self-service web application will work and look always the same and users can’t do anything else than the applications intention. Be aware that this tutorial is for basic usage and doesn’t deal with malicious attacks against the whole system. If You wan’t a 99% bullet proof system then there are specialized software solutions for this occasion. But this approach will work for in house usage, trade fairs and other smaller events and venues.

Start the browser in fullscreen

There is a command line flag for starting Internet Explorer in fullscreen and without the address bar.

Start Your command line by searching cmd from the Start Menu. It will list as cmd.exe.

Type in „C:Program FilesInternet Exploreriexplore.exe" -k http://app.3dwayfinder.com/projects/demo

-k is for the kiosk mode

http://app.3dwayfinder.com/projects/demo is the address to Your project.

Internet Explorer kiosk mode has some missing features for using it on touch screens and self service computers. For example it doesn’t:

  • Disable web page zooming;
  • Shows address bars for pop-up windows
  • Doesn’t disable right click menus

But there are some solutions to fix these problems.

Disable zoom

When You are using a touch screen that supports at least two finger gestures then users can zoom in and out the webpage. This is bad when Your page has to have certain layout and dimensions.

To disable zoom and set it to 100% You have to change some registry values. You can do this by using the regedit.exe tool or import new values from .reg files. To open regedit open the Start Menu and search for regedit. Remember You have to be a Administrator to change the registry.

Find the following folder:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerZoom

If this folder doesn’t exist then create it.

Change or create a new entry called ZoomDisabled (it has to be DWORD type). Set the value to 1.

This will disable Internet Explorer zoom for the current user. If You want to disable it to all users find the same value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

To import the value from a .reg file download the file from here. Find the file on Your computer, unzip the file and right click on the secure_ie.reg file. Choose Merge and then press Yes.

Set the zoom to 100%

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerZoom

Change the ZoomFactor value to 000186a0 (DWORD).

Disable the address bar

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerToolbarsRestrictions change the NoNavBar value to 1 (DWORD).

Disable right click menu

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerRestrictions change the NoBrowserContextMenu value to 1 (DWORD).

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