How to Completely Disable ‘Video Super Resolution’ via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

Video Super Resolution (VSR) is an advanced feature in Microsoft Edge that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms (often accelerated by your device’s GPU) to upscale low-resolution videos on the web. While this can significantly improve the visual quality of pixelated content, it drastically increases GPU utilization, power consumption, and battery drain on laptops. In enterprise environments or on mobile workstations where battery life and thermal management are prioritized over video fidelity, administrators may wish to disable this feature entirely.

This guide provides a comprehensive method to completely disable the Video Super Resolution feature in Microsoft Edge using the Windows Group Policy Editor, ensuring that web videos play at their native resolution without AI upscaling.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• Administrative privileges on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 machine.
• Access to the Group Policy Editor (available in Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions).
• The latest Microsoft Edge Administrative Templates downloaded and installed in your PolicyDefinitions folder.

How to Disable ‘Video Super Resolution’ via Group Policy

Follow these steps to deploy the policy and disable VSR across Microsoft Edge:

1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
3. In the left pane, navigate to the following path:
   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge
4. In the right pane, locate the policy named EdgeVideoSuperResolutionEnabled (or “Enable Video Super Resolution”).
5. Double-click on the policy to open its configuration window.
6. Select the Disabled radio button.
7. Click Apply and then OK to save the changes.
8. To ensure the policy takes immediate effect, open a Command Prompt as Administrator and run the command: gpupdate /force.
9. Restart Microsoft Edge.

Verifying the Changes

To confirm that Video Super Resolution has been successfully disabled:

• Open Microsoft Edge and type edge://policy in the address bar, then press Enter.
• Look for the policy name EdgeVideoSuperResolutionEnabled.
• Ensure the Policy Value is set to false, confirming that the AI upscaling feature is deactivated and your GPU will not be utilized for video enhancement.