How to Completely Disable ‘Internet Explorer Mode’ (IE Mode) via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

Internet Explorer Mode (IE Mode) in Microsoft Edge was introduced to allow organizations to seamlessly load legacy, ActiveX-dependent intranet sites without requiring a separate browser installation. While it was a crucial bridge during the deprecation of Internet Explorer 11, it is fundamentally a security liability. IE Mode utilizes the legacy MSHTML (Trident) rendering engine. This engine is no longer actively developed for modern web standards and is frequently the target of zero-day vulnerabilities (like CVE-2021-40444). If your organization has successfully modernized all internal web applications, leaving IE Mode accessible allows users to potentially render external, malicious sites using a highly vulnerable legacy engine.

This guide explains how to completely disable Internet Explorer Mode system-wide in Microsoft Edge using Group Policy, ensuring the Trident engine cannot be invoked by end-users.

Disable IE Mode via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that prevents users from manually reloading tabs in IE Mode and disables the enterprise mode site list integration, we must deploy an administrative template. Note that this requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions.

1. Log into Windows 11 with an Administrator account.
2. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
3. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
4. In the left-hand navigation pane, strictly follow this exact path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge

5. In the right-hand pane, locate the policy named Configure Internet Explorer integration.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Enabled. (Note: You must enable the policy to configure the restriction).
8. In the Options pane below, click the drop-down menu and explicitly select Internet Explorer mode disabled. (Do not select “None”).
9. Click Apply, then click OK.

Verify the Configuration Lockdown

Group Policy changes require the browser to read the registry upon its next launch. Close all active instances of Microsoft Edge.

To verify the restriction is active, reopen Microsoft Edge and navigate to edge://settings/defaultBrowser. Look for the setting titled “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode (IE mode).” The dropdown menu next to it will be locked, greyed out, and set to “Don’t allow.” A briefcase icon will indicate that “Your browser is managed by your organization.” Furthermore, the option to “Reload in Internet Explorer mode” will be completely removed from the Edge context menus. You have successfully deprecated MSHTML on the endpoint.