# Viewing HTML source
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 21, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743 "2003-10-21T18:01:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FandJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FandJ)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/1 "2003-10-21T18:01:07Z")
Howdy, all you Straight Dopers! I am currently teaching myself HTML, but I have a curious problem that some of you might be able to help me with. The book I am using advocates looking at HTML source already on the Web to see how certain things are done. However, I do the right click on the mouse, click on View Source, and get nothing. No error messages, nothing at all. I suspect it might have something to with the popup blocker running, but turning it off had no effect. Anyone have any ideas?
fandj
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### Author:  [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/2 "2003-10-21T18:15:07Z")
Pop-up blocking shouldn’t matter; you should still be able to view the HTML source of any page.
However, just to eliminate this as a possible cause, try going to [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html) (or any page with no JavaScript) and then invoking “View HTML”. You should be able to see the HTML source.
If this still doesn’t work, then I suspect there’s something funny with your particular browser. Maybe try another one?
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### Author:  [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/3 "2003-10-21T18:17:15Z")
Try it from the toolbar. Go to ‘View’ then ‘Source’. It should open in notepad.
I’d also suggest looking at basic hand-made websites. Looking at something like [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) will probably just confuse you.
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### Author:  [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/4 "2003-10-21T18:27:16Z")
IIRC, one of the versions of IE has the quirk that prevents you from viewing source code if the amount in cache plus the file desired exceed some limit.
So try clearing your cache.
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/5 "2003-10-21T20:12:09Z")
**aahala** is right. Go to Tools/Internet Options/Temporary Internet Files/Delete Files.
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### Author:  [@FandJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FandJ)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viewing-html-source/208743/6 "2003-10-21T21:42:43Z")
**aahala** - You have done your part in stamping out ignorance today. Of coiurse, I managed to post the query twice so there is still work to do.
Thanks a ton!
fandj