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<!DOCTYPE html> <html dir="ltr" lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" />  <title>Troubleshooting: CAPTCHA – JSTOR Support</title> <meta name="csrf-param" content="authenticity_token"> <meta name="csrf-token" content=""> <meta name="description" content="What's in this article: Why we use CAPTCHA What to do when you don't see a CAPTCHA Contact us Clear cache and cookies Update your..." /><meta property="og:image" content="/hc/theming_assets/01J47PGBA38KT0M8B1A8WAQHRX" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="JSTOR Support" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Troubleshooting: CAPTCHA" /> <meta property="og:description" content="What's in this article: Why we use CAPTCHA What to do when you don't see a CAPTCHA Contact us Clear cache and cookies Update your browser Disable ad blockers Enable Javascript Change firewall or..." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868-Troubleshooting-CAPTCHA" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868-Troubleshooting-CAPTCHA"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868-Troubleshooting-CAPTCHA"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868-Troubleshooting-CAPTCHA"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="//static.zdassets.com/hc/assets/application-a42a464885a505c24ac3b0ab35047489.css" media="all" id="stylesheet" />  <link rel="stylesheet" href="//static.zdassets.com/hc/assets/theming_v1_support-e05586b61178dcde2a13a3d323525a18.css" media="all" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/hc/theming_assets/1006386/1111017/style.css?digest=26599707278359"> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/hc/theming_assets/01J2GY3MMDMV8J31CZ29GBDRE9"> <script src="//static.zdassets.com/hc/assets/jquery-09d07e20ce042ef10e301661ad1f316c.js"></script>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); 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The intermittent use of CAPTCHA is a way that we address robotic activity and excessive downloading.</p> <p><a name="no-captcha"></a></p> <h2>What to do when you don't see a CAPTCHA</h2> <p>If you're trying to register for an individual account, you might be prompted to complete a CAPTCHA before your account is completed. But, certain programs, settings on your computer, or even your internet connection can prevent CAPTCHA from displaying or functioning properly.</p> <p><a name="contact-us"></a></p> <p><strong><em>If this happens, please <a href="http://www.jstor.org/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact us</a></em><em><a href="http://www.jstor.org/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a></em>so that we can create an account for you.</strong></p> <p>But, if you need help right away, try a few of the solutions below.</p> <p><a name="clear-cache"></a></p> <h3 class="wysiwyg-indent3">Clear your cache and cookies</h3> <p class="wysiwyg-indent3">A good first step is to clear your cache and delete your cookies. <a href="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115005047608-Troubleshooting-How-Why-to-Clear-Cache-Cookies">Our Support Page for Clearing Cache and Cookies </a>will show you how to do just that in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.</p> <p><a name="browser-update"></a></p> <h3 class="wysiwyg-indent3">Make sure your browser is up to date</h3> <p class="wysiwyg-indent3">Older versions of browsers may interfere with the CAPTCHA loading properly, and may also cause other problems when using the JSTOR site. Make sure that the browser you are using is updated to the latest version, and is <a href="https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115004975388-Browser-Compatibility" target="_self">compatible with JSTOR</a>.</p> <p><a name="disable-ad-blocker"></a></p> <h3 class="wysiwyg-indent3">Disable Ad Blockers</h3> <p class="wysiwyg-indent3">Ad blockers may interfere with CAPTCHA. You can turn off ad-blocker for JSTOR without disabling your ad-blocker for other sites. To disable ad blockers, you can go into the settings for your ad blocker and "whitelist" or "allow ads" for jstor.org, but make sure to check your ad blocker's support site for more instructions.</p> <p><a name="enable-javascript"></a></p> <h3 class="wysiwyg-indent3">Enable Javascript</h3> <p class="wysiwyg-indent3">Javascript-blocking software (such as NoScript and JS Blocker) can also occasionally prevent CAPTCHA from functioning as it should. Open your Javascript-blocking software and choose "Allow jstor.org" from the menu to whitelist all of jstor.org.</p> <p><a name="change-settings"></a></p> <h3 class="wysiwyg-indent3">Change Firewall and Proxy Settings</h3> <p class="wysiwyg-indent3">Other culprits can include your firewall or proxy settings, which are typically set by your institution's library IT department. If you've tried the above and are still experiencing issues, we recommend that you contact them. We'll be happy to work with them to troubleshoot further.</p> <p><a name="#captcha-accessible"></a></p> <h2>Is CAPTCHA accessible?</h2> <p>Our CAPTCHA provides an audio CAPTCHA for those who need it. You will be asked to listen to an audio file and type the numbers you hear into a form field. If all else fails, please <a href="https://www.jstor.org/contact-us/forms/web-support/" target="_self">contact us</a>.</p></div> </div> </section> <footer> <div class="article-votes"> <span class="article-votes-question">Was this article helpful?</span> <div class="article-votes-controls" role='radiogroup'> <a class="button article-vote article-vote-up" data-helper="vote" data-item="article" data-type="up" data-id="115011068868" data-upvote-count="2760" data-vote-count="4872" data-vote-sum="648" data-vote-url="/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868/vote" data-value="null" data-label="2760 out of 4872 found this helpful" data-selected-class="null" aria-selected="false" role="radio" rel="nofollow" title="Yes" href="#"></a> <a class="button article-vote article-vote-down" data-helper="vote" data-item="article" data-type="down" data-id="115011068868" data-upvote-count="2760" data-vote-count="4872" data-vote-sum="648" data-vote-url="/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868/vote" data-value="null" data-label="2760 out of 4872 found this helpful" data-selected-class="null" aria-selected="false" role="radio" rel="nofollow" title="No" href="#"></a> </div> <class="article-votes-count"> <span class="article-vote-label" data-helper="vote" data-item="article" data-type="label" data-id="115011068868" data-upvote-count="2760" data-vote-count="4872" data-vote-sum="648" data-vote-url="/hc/en-us/articles/115011068868/vote" data-value="null" data-label="2760 out of 4872 found this helpful">2760 out of 4872 found this helpful</span> </div>  <div class="article-more-questions" data-sc="track-contact-submission"> Have more questions? <a href="/hc/en-us/requests/new">Submit a request</a> </div> <div class="article-return-to-top"> <a href="#article-container">Return to top<span class="icon-arrow-up"></span></a> </div> </footer> </article> <section class="article-sidebar" data-sc="track-related-articles">  <h3 class="sidenav-title">Articles in this section</h3> <ul> <li> <a href="/hc/en-us/articles/115004975388-Browser-Compatibility" class="sidenav-item ">Browser Compatibility</a> </li> <li> <a href="/hc/en-us/articles/360024500394-Password-not-working-Try-a-reset" class="sidenav-item ">Password not working? 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