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Enable your Computer for Blackboard

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Whatever computer you have the following information is essential to accessing and using the Blackboard and crucially what are called third party tools, for example, Turnitin for online submission of assignments. Following the steps below.

Check your browser and enable third party cookies

  1. Update your browser to latest available version.
  2. Ensure “third party cookies” are allowed (see the instructions below – “How to enable third party cookies”).
  3. Please run a browser compatibility check to ensure:
    • your browser is supported,
    • “pop-up windows” are allowed.
  4. After reviewing and changing your browser privacy and security preferences, close your browser completely and reopen it for the changes to take effect.

Add Turnitin to the list of sites allowed to use third party cookies

If you only want to allow Turnitin to use third party cookies in your browser. A permanent fix is to add “https://api.turnitinuk.com” and “https://api.turnitin.com” to the allowed or exceptions list for your browser.

How to enable third-party cookies?

To enable third-party cookies, follow the steps below for the browser you are using.

  • For some websites to work correctly that use third-party cookies, you may need to enable cross-site tracking in your browser.
  • Should you only want to allow the specific Turnitin site to be allowed and as a permanent fix, add “https://api.turnitinuk.com” and “https://api.turnitin.com” to the exceptions list for your browser:

Google Chrome

  1. On Windows – Click on the Chrome menu and select Settings
    1. (On Mac – Click on Chrome > Preferences)
  2. Click on Privacy and security
  3. Click on Cookies and other site data
  4. Here, ensure that the Block third-party cookies option is unchecked
  5. Close or refresh your browser.

Enable cross-site tracking in Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

  1. On Windows – Click on the Tools menu and select Options
    1. (On Mac – Click on Firefox > Preferences)
  2. Click on Privacy & Security
  3. It is recommended to select the Standard option for Enhanced Tracking Protection
  4. If you use Custom, ensure that you do not enable any of the options that may or will cause websites to break under Cookies
  5. Close or refresh your browser.

Read more about turning off Enhanced Tracking Prevention in Firefox

Safari

  1. Click on Safari > Preferences
  2. Click on Privacy
  3. Ensure that the box for Cookies and website data is unchecked
  4. Close or refresh your browser

Read more about privacy preferences in Safari on Mac

Microsoft Edge

  1. Click on the 3 horizontal dots
  2. Click on Settings
  3. Click on Cookies and Site permissions
  4. Click on Manage and delete cookies and site data
  5. Ensure that the option Block third-party cookies are disabled
  6. Close or refresh your browser.

Make an exception to Tracking Prevention in Edge

Clearing your Cache

Many issues in Blackboard and other teaching technologies can be the result of how your browser handles cookies. This page covers some of the common issues you may encounter and how to resolve them.

Clearing your browser cache can help to resolve some issues with logging in and accessing university webpages after updates.

You can find more about clearing your cache on various browsers on the DTS Help pages.

Workarounds (if your browser doesn’t work)

  • Try a different browser (for example, if Safari is not working, try Chrome).
  • Try Private (incognito) window,
  • or if possible, try submitting work using a different computer or device.

Get support

If you have tried these options and you are having problems, please raise a support ticket along with a screenshot of the “Browser compatibility checker” results.

Email dts@reading.ac.uk or log a ticket on the DTS Self-Service Portal.

Guide last updated on August 13, 2025

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