How to Completely Disable ‘Automatic HTTPS’ via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge includes a security feature known as “Automatic HTTPS.” When enabled, the browser attempts to automatically upgrade all HTTP navigation requests to the more secure HTTPS protocol. While this is a critical security enhancement for general web browsing, it can cause significant connectivity issues in legacy enterprise environments, internal staging networks, or isolated industrial control systems (ICS). If an organization relies on internal web applications, older intranet portals, or embedded hardware management interfaces that do not support TLS/SSL certificates, Automatic HTTPS will force a secure connection attempt, resulting in a timeout or a ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR, thereby breaking access to critical internal tools.

This guide explains how to completely disable ‘Automatic HTTPS’ via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge, ensuring the browser strictly respects explicit HTTP navigation requests without attempting unauthorized protocol upgrades.

Disable Automatic HTTPS via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that disables the feature globally across the browser, 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 Automatic HTTPS.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Enabled. (Note: We enable the policy to explicitly control its behavior).
8. Under the “Options” section in the lower-left pane, locate the “Automatic HTTPS mode” dropdown menu.
9. Select Disable Automatic HTTPS.
10. 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. If you wish to force the policy update immediately across the OS, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run gpupdate /force.

To verify the restriction is active, open Microsoft Edge and navigate to Settings > Privacy, search, and services. Scroll down to the “Security” section. The toggle for “Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS” will be toggled off and greyed out, accompanied by a briefcase icon indicating that “This setting is managed by your organization.” The browser is now cryptographically bound to allow native HTTP connections to legacy internal endpoints without interference.