Monday, June 24, 2024

Here's How You Can Enable Or Disable JavaScript in Your Browser

If you ever see a website that you consider to be well designed in a visually pleasing manner, there’s a pretty good chance that this is due to its use of JavaScript (JS). Many would consider it to be the basis for the entire internet. In spite of the fact that this is the case, a lot of people might not be aware of how important JavaScript truly is with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The first thing to understand here is what JavaScript actually is. In essence, it’s a programming language that runs on the client side of your web browser. Most basic web functions rely on it, and if it ever ends up getting disabled, the functionality of a given webpage may end up becoming compromised.

It is important to note that the JavaScript engine relies on a series of processes to execute the code.

First, the parser interprets the code and converts it into an Abstract Syntax Tree. Following this, it’s compiled into bytecode or machine code, although it bears mentioning that the former is faster than the latter. The next step is executing the compiled code, after which it interacts with your browser on a regular basis.

There are a few benefits to using JavaScript that you need to be aware of. For starters, it is crucial for the creation of any and all interactive components that you might see on the web, in other words JS helps a browser run a lot of functions and perform tasks, such as loading popups, ads, and enabling a site to put a piece of content behind a paywall. What's more is that it facilitates speedier communication between the client and server side, allowing the retrieval of data without necessitating frequent refreshes. Any input coming from the user is also processed using JavaScript.

However, there are a few drawbacks to JavaScript that you might want to know a thing or two about. For example, the JavaScript running in your browser simply isn’t able to control hardware since it lacks any kind of access to it. Secondly, it can’t influence browser settings such as modifying extensions or the homepage. Finally, the lack of local file system access makes it somewhat less secure than might have been the case otherwise.

So without further ado, here’s how you can enable JavaScript in your browser on PC or Mac!

Google Chrome

Users can simply head over to this page and enable or disable the JS in their chrome browser: chrome://settings/content/javascript.


Or alternatively, follow these steps: 
  • Click on the three vertically aligned dots in the upper right corner
  • Head over to “Settings”
  • Click on “Privacy and Security”
  • Enter “Site Settings”
  • Scroll to the “Content” section and click on “JavaScript”
  • Toggle it to “Sites can use JavaScript” to enable JS or select ""Don't allow sites to use JavaScript" to disable this setting, or enter specific sites you want JavaScript to be enabled/disabled on

Mozilla Firefox

A video tutorial in case you need it:


  • Input “about:config” into the address bar and press Enter
  • You might see a prompt asking you to accept risk and enter
  • Type “javascript.enabled” into the search bar
  • Press the toggle button to change the value to “true” to enable it, or turn it to "false" to disable it.

Safari

Video guide for visual learners:


  • Click on “Safari” in menu bar
  • Select “Settings”
  • In the new setting pop up find and click on the “Security” tab
  • Click on “Enable JavaScript” checkbox, right next to "web content" to enable to disable the feature

Opera

Similar to Google Chrome, Opera browsers can enable or disable the JS by simply copy/pasting this link: opera://settings/content/javascript.


Or if you wish to follow the step by step process, here are the details:
  • Click on the Opera logo
  • Click on “settings”
  • Go to “Privacy and Security”
  • Click on “Site Settings”
  • Click on “JavaScript”
  • Select either "Sites can use JavaScript" or "Don't allow sites to use JavaScript" depending on your need

Microsoft Edge

Visit this page to disable or enable the JS in Edge browser: edge://settings/content/javascript


Or follow these steps:
  • Click on the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner
  • Access “Settings”
  • Go to “Cookies and Site Permissions”
  • Click on “JavaScript”
  • Toggle to “Allowed (recommended)” to on position if you prefer using JS while browsing and turn it off if you don't.
Read next: Is Your Smartphone Eavesdropping? Here's How to Protect Your Privacy
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

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