How to Completely Disable ‘Picture Dictionary’ via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

The Picture Dictionary in Microsoft Edge is an accessibility feature embedded within the Immersive Reader. When enabled, it allows users to click on specific words on a web page to see a pictorial representation of their meaning. While this is an excellent educational tool for children or individuals learning a new language, it is generally unnecessary in a professional corporate environment. Furthermore, because the feature requires sending the selected text to Microsoft’s cloud servers to retrieve the corresponding images, organizations with strict data privacy and telemetry policies may wish to disable it to prevent unintentional data exfiltration of sensitive intranet content.

This guide explains how to completely disable the Picture Dictionary feature system-wide in Microsoft Edge using Group Policy, ensuring text selection remains private and strictly local.

Disable Picture Dictionary via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that disables the feature within the Immersive Reader and locks the setting from user modification, 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 Enable Picture Dictionary within Immersive Reader (or PictureDictionaryEnabled depending on your ADMX version).
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 an article. Enter the Immersive Reader mode (by pressing F9 or clicking the book icon in the address bar). In the Reading Preferences menu at the top of the screen, the toggle switch for “Picture Dictionary” will be greyed out, locked in the ‘Off’ position, and marked with a briefcase icon indicating it is managed by your organization. Clicking on words will no longer trigger cloud-based image lookups.