How to Completely Disable ‘Developer Tools’ (F12) in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge, like all Chromium-based browsers, includes a powerful suite of Developer Tools. Accessible by pressing the F12 key or right-clicking and selecting “Inspect,” these tools are essential for web developers to debug code, analyse network traffic, and manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM) of any webpage. However, in enterprise, educational, or kiosk environments, exposing the Developer Tools can be a massive security and compliance risk. Savvy users can use these tools to bypass local restrictions, extract sensitive session tokens, or modify the visual appearance of locked-down web applications.

This guide explains how to completely disable the Developer Tools in Microsoft Edge via Group Policy and the Registry, preventing users from accessing the F12 console or the “Inspect” context menu entirely.

Disable Developer Tools via Registry Editor

The most robust way to permanently lock down the Developer Tools on a Windows machine is by modifying the Microsoft Edge policy keys within the Windows Registry. This method applies to both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).
3. Navigate to the following directory path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

4. Right-click on the Microsoft folder, select New > Key, and name it Edge. (If the “Edge” key already exists, simply click to select it).
5. With the Edge key selected, right-click in the empty space on the right-hand side of the window and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name this new DWORD exactly: DeveloperToolsAvailability.
7. Double-click the newly created DeveloperToolsAvailability value.
8. In the “Value data” field, enter the number 2. (Setting it to 2 strictly disables Developer Tools. Setting it to 0 allows them, and 1 allows them only for local intranet sites).
9. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.

Verify the Policy Application

For the new policy to take effect, you must completely restart Microsoft Edge. Ensure you close all open windows and kill any background Edge processes running in your system tray.

Once you reopen Microsoft Edge, attempt to press the F12 key. Nothing will happen. Furthermore, if you right-click on any element on a webpage, you will notice that the “Inspect” option has been completely removed from the context menu. You can also confirm the policy is active by typing edge://policy into the address bar and verifying that DeveloperToolsAvailability is listed with a value of 2.