How do I detect whether a browser has ClickOnce enabled

[RobertbNZ]

My web site, Home has been developed to support our software. It contains a Download page that allows users to download a free trial. The software is delivered using Microsoft ClickOnce, so it is vital that users have configured their browser to support this. The set up instructions, Jazz Set Up, make this clear, but a large number of users charge ahead without reading this web page.

How can I determine whether the user's browser is enabled to support ClickOnce? I want to be able to produce a message to tell the user to enable ClickOnce, and direct them to the appropriate part of the set up instructions where how to do this is clearly described.

 

[Skydiver]

Moving to Deployment...

 

[Skydiver]

Looks like you ask this question last year in the MS forums:

How do I check that a browser has ClickOnce enabled? - Microsoft Q&A

My software, [https://jazzsoftware.co.nz/], is written with VB.Net, and is delivered with ClickOnce. I've tried to make it very clear in the relevant web pages and the setup instructions [https://www.jazzsoftware.co.nz/Docs/JazzSetup.htm] that users…

learn.microsoft.com

 

[Skydiver]

Anyway, presumably you've also run across the old SO answer from about 10 years ago to a similar question as yours where they suggest checking the User Agent string of the browser, as well as, checking for known plugins that provide ClickOnce Support. In 2025, I have doubts about checking the agent string, because supposedly Edge now defaults to having ClickOnce disabled.

 

[RobertbNZ]

Anyway, presumably you've also run across the old SO answer from about 10 years ago to a similar question as yours where they suggest checking the User Agent string of the browser, as well as, checking for known plugins that provide ClickOnce Support. In 2025, I have doubts about checking the agent string, because supposedly Edge now defaults to having ClickOnce disabled.

Edge doesn't seem to enable ClickOnce by default. I get a lot of users who struggle to download my software until I tell them to read the setup instructions and particularly the section "Edge, Special Note" that describes how to enable it.

Can you please point me at the old SO answer.

Thank you, Robert