How do I Enable Sending Referrers?

Written by Are Pedersen | 20 August 2008
Posted in FAQs - Technical Support

Unfortunately, there may not be simple straight forward answer. Listed below are methods to enable this function, so please check both what is listed for your browser and also your firewall.

If the program you use is not listed, study what is given for the others - the principle is the same throughout; it is just the method which differs between programs.

Internet Explorer 7

This can be done from the computer's Control Panel > Internet Options, or from within the browser Tools > Internet Options.

• Click Security.
• Click Trusted Sites then Sites.
• Add your website address in the box provided and click Add.
• Uncheck the box that requires https verification.
• Click the Privacy tab (Medium is an acceptable setting on the slider, but click Sites and again enter your website address)/
• Now click Allow.
• Click Apply.

This has only altered settings for your website and this does not otherwise affect your browsing.

Firefox 3.0+

RefControl

Use the RefControl extension for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/953/

Manually Setting

Warning: this method may be considered as a privacy risk as all sites will receive referrers.

• Type about:config in the URL address bar.
• Accept the warning message
• A large collection of alphabetically listed information will appear in the browser window.
• Search for network.http.sendRefererHeader.
• By default, this should be set at 2.
• If it is set to 0 - which disables sending referrers - right click it, select Modify and enter 2 as the value.
• If that doesn't work, try a value of 1

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Network.http.sendRefererHeader for more information.


Opera

Sending referrers is enabled by default.

If you have disabled it, go to Tools > Preferences > Privacy and re-enable it.


Norton Internet Security

Go to Privacy Control > Advanced > Add Site.

Add your URL (ie. example.com) and make sure everything is permitted.


Norton Personal

Some web pages require referrer information before allowing you to view their page. If you want to allow referrer information to pass to a particular web page, you must create a rule for it.

To Create a Rule

Open Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall and choose one of the following:

In Norton Internet Security/Norton Personal Firewall 2003

• Click Options > Internet Security or
• Personal Firewall (This step is not always needed) and click the Web Content tab

In Norton Internet Security/Norton Personal Firewall 2004

• Double-click Privacy Control
• Click Advanced
• Click Add Site (A new site/domain box appears)
• Enter the name of the site that you want to receive the referrer information and click OK. In this example, it will be www.symantec.com. The site name appears in the left frame of the Options window.
• Click the name of the new site
• Click the Global Settings tab
• In the "Information about visited sites" section, clear "Use default settings"
• Click Permit
• Click OK to close the Options window

Norton Support Reference (http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nip.nsf/46f26a2d6dafb0a788256bc7005c3fa3/b9b47ad7eddd343b88256c6b006a85a8?OpenDocument∏=Norton%20Personal%20Firewall&ver=2003%20for%20Windows%202000/Me/98/XP&src=sg&pcode=npf&svy=&csm=no)


Netbarrier

Go to Privacy > Surf > Information Hiding, and uncheck the "Last Web site visited" box.


Sygate Firewall

The free version of this firewall does not block sending referrers.

The Pro version:

• Click Tools > Options > Security

Ensure that 'enable stealth mode browsing' is unchecked.


Kerio Firewall 4

Turn ON the HTTP referrer under the privacy tab of web filtering.


Zone Alarm Pro

• Under Privacy Button on Left, Click on Site List Tab.
• Right click on "Private Header" column where WordPress URL is located. Or click "Add" to add the URL.
• From the menu, choose Options
• On the first tab named "Cookies", remove checkmark on "third party cookies - remove private header information"
• Click OKAY

McAfee

• Right-click the red M icon.
• Click Privacy Service.
• Click Options.
• The McAfee Privacy Service window appears. Click Cookies.
• Enter each website address from which you would like to allow cookies.
• Click Add.
• Once completed, close the window

Privoxy

This might apply to other local proxy servers and ad busters. There is a "+hide-referrer" option that defaults to "forge a url" in the referral header; either disable this option in default.action (-hide-referrer) or simply place your domain in the { fragile } section of user.action. Another option is to exclude your domain from being proxied in your web browser's settings.