How to Completely Disable ‘Clear Browsing Data on Exit’ via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge includes a privacy feature that allows the browser to automatically clear selected browsing data-such as history, cookies, cached images, and passwords-every time the browser is closed. While this is excellent for shared kiosks or privacy-conscious home users, it is highly detrimental in a standard corporate environment. If a user enables “Clear browsing data on exit,” they can effectively wipe their local browsing trail at the end of every session, circumventing local endpoint audits and making it difficult for IT to troubleshoot persistent login issues or verify compliance with acceptable use policies.

This guide explains how to completely disable the “Clear browsing data on exit” feature system-wide using Group Policy in Microsoft Edge, ensuring that local browsing data persists between sessions for auditing and troubleshooting purposes.

Disable Clear Browsing Data on Exit via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that prevents users from configuring the browser to wipe its own data upon closure, 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 Allow clearing browsing data on exit.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Disabled.
8. 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/clearBrowsingDataOnClose. You will observe that the master toggle and all individual data toggles (Browsing history, Cookies, etc.) are greyed out and locked in the ‘Off’ position. A briefcase icon will appear at the top of the page with a message stating, “Your browser is managed by your organization.” Users can no longer configure the browser to automatically destroy their local footprint upon exit.