# Why does the SDMB disable my Back button? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 26, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364 "2012-06-26T17:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/1 "2012-06-26T17:04:17Z")
On this site, and _only_ this site, my Back button almost always refuses to work. If I, say, go into IMHO and click on a thread, I’m not able to click the back button and get out. I have to scroll up to the top and click on Main or In My Humble Opinion to get out of the thread. It doesn’t do this on any other site. Just here. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/2 "2012-06-26T17:21:45Z")
What browser are you using? The back button’s always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/3 "2012-06-26T17:21:59Z")
What browser and operating system? ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/4 "2012-06-26T17:26:39Z")
I have the same problem, and it’s something fairly recent. It used to happen once in a while, but the last couple weeks it’s been constant, no matter if I am on my home computer or work. Very aggravating. Both home & work use Internet Explorer, but different versions. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/5 "2012-06-26T17:26:52Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > On this site, and _only_ this site, my Back button almost always refuses to work. > > If I, say, go into IMHO and click on a thread, I’m not able to click the back button and get out. I have to scroll up to the top and click on Main or In My Humble Opinion to get out of the thread. > > It doesn’t do this on any other site. Just here. > > What’s up with that? Try clicking the back button two or three times quickly in succession. This always seems to work for me. I have no idea why this happens. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/6 "2012-06-26T17:56:53Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > I have the same problem, and it’s something fairly recent. It used to happen once in a while, but the last couple weeks it’s been constant, no matter if I am on my home computer or work. Very aggravating. > > Both home & work use Internet Explorer, but different versions. Same here. And I have tried hitting the back button repeatedly. Doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/7 "2012-06-26T18:24:48Z")
See this thread from a few weeks ago. > **[Is the back arrow key giving anyone else problems?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654689)** > > Lately, whenever I hit the back arrow key one the Dope it doesn’t work right. I have to click it 3 or 4 times before the page goes back to the previous one. I guess it could be my computer but the Dope is the only place it does this on. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-disable-my-back-button/626364/8 "2012-06-26T18:27:42Z")
To sum up, for those who don’t want to click a link, ads add pages to your history and clicking the back button refreshes the ad but not the whole page so it looks like nothing’s changed.