Prevent Word From Loading HTTP Images

Important note: These registry changes are provided as examples of how these parameters might be changed. Be sure you have a complete backup of your registry and an up-to-date ERD (Emergency Repair Disk) before you make any changes. The Registry editor can make your system unusable, so be careful! We take no responsibility for these registry changes - do them at your own risk!

An author of a Word document can embed an HTTP image directly inside. This allows images to be stored on an intranet or a remote web site. While this can be useful (it reduces document size), it can be abused by allowing a web site to track when documents have been read.

To disable this "feature", start up the registry editor and navigate to the following key.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common

Name the new key "BlockHTTPImages" and press enter. Double-click this new value and set it to "1". This will block the loading of remote HTTP images in the Word program. (Of course, if this key already exists just set the value to "1".)