Microsoft Edge

Using Microsoft Edge secondary tiles in the Start layout and multi-app kiosk mode

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This week is all about Microsoft Edge secondary tiles. Microsoft Edge secondary tiles are website shortcuts that are pinned to the Start layout. Those pins provide quick access to specific websites directly from the Start layout. Basically, those pins function similar to any other app shortcuts that are pinned to the Start layout. Any user can create website shortcuts in the Start layout by simply navigating in Microsoft Edge to Settings > More tools > Pin to Start. There can scenarios in which it might be useful to already pre-pin specific websites for the user. The most common scenario is a multi-app kiosk mode configuration in which specific websites must be pinned for the users of those devices. That’s where Microsoft Edge secondary tiles become …

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Using sensitivity labels for protecting labeled content in Microsoft 365 online apps

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This week is all about Microsoft Edge. More specifically, this week is all about even using sensitivity labels for protecting Microsoft 365 online apps in Microsoft Edge. Sensitivity labels on itself are nothing new, using it in Microsoft 365 online apps not either, but support for using it in Outlook on the web is. The basics of sensitivity labels are still the same. After applying a sensitivity label, the IT administrator can prevent actions like copying, pasting, taking screenshots, forwarding emails, replying to emails, and more. Initially that functionality was only available in Microsoft 365 desktop applications, and now slowly moved towards Microsoft 365 online apps via Microsoft Edge. Within Microsoft Edge, that same behavior can now be enforced. Of course that does require the …

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Protecting downloads in MAM enrolled profiles on managed Windows devices

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This week is all about a combination of new features. That combination of features is allowing MAM enrollment on managed Windows devices and protecting downloads in Microsoft Edge. Both features are relatively new features in Microsoft Edge, that are both currently still behind experimental feature flags. The first feature enables MAM enrollment on managed devices (also known as cross-tenant support) and the second feature protects the downloads in Microsoft Edge in that scenario. That feature makes sure that downloads are always redirected to a folder that is managed within the home tenant of the user account and that enforces organizational compliance. In practice that means that when the user downloads files, in that MAM enrolled profile on a device that is already managed by another …

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Managing geolocation access for websites in Microsoft Edge

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This week is all about managing (geo)location access for websites in Microsoft Edge. When apps are allowed access to the location of the user, that also includes the Microsoft Edge browser. That means that – depending on the configuration in Microsoft Edge – every website could potentially access the location of the user, or at least ask the user for access. Within Microsoft Edge there are, however, controls available that can be used for controlling the access of websites to the location of the user. Those controls enable the organization to define the default behavior, and also the behavior for specific websites. That enables a layered level of control over the location access in Microsoft Edge. The first layer is the access of apps in …

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Managing Copilot in Microsoft Edge

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This week is all about managing Copilot within Microsoft Edge. There were already some nice configurations available for a while and recently an additional configuration was added around sharing tenant-approved browser history with Copilot search. That was a nice trigger for this post, focused on managing those available configurations. Working with Copilot in Microsoft Edge, does often require the organization to make that functionality available to the users. The good part is that it is often already disabled by default when using an organizational account. Especially in the EU, Copilot in Microsoft Edge has some default constraints that can be adjusted when needed. That is for example applicable to configuration around accessing Microsoft Edge page content for Entra accounts. This post will provide a closer …

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Getting started with secure password deployment in Microsoft Edge

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This week is still about Microsoft Edge. More specifically, this week is all about the secure password deployment feature of Microsoft Edge. Secure password deployment enables IT administrators to securely deploy encrypted shared passwords to users. That can be useful with shared credentials for specific user accounts and applications. For example for easily getting access to a specific dashboard, or to specific social media accounts. There are many possible use cases. With secure password deployment, users will receive the deployed passwords in their work profile in Microsoft Edge on their managed device. That will help with reducing the risk of (over)sharing passwords with the wrong audience, and with that it helps with enhancing the overall security posture of the organization. This post will look closer …

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Allowing users to request the installation of browser extensions for Microsoft Edge

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This week is also about Microsoft Edge. More specifically, about managing browser extensions for Microsoft Edge. That has been a subject before, but in that case it was focused on fully managing Microsoft Edge browser extensions on Windows devices. In that case, it was a pretty strict configuration focussed on creating an allow list for Microsoft Edge browser extensions. There are, however, easier methods for allowing users to request the installation of extensions for Microsoft Edge. Within the Microsoft Edge management service there is ability to block the installation of extensions by default, while allowing user to request the installation of any blocked extension. Once the installation is requested, the IT administrator has to approve the installation by allowing the requested extension. With that, IT …

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Reinforcing data protection with watermark protection in Microsoft Edge

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This week is all about watermark protection in Microsoft Edge. Watermark protection is focused on visibly reinforcing data protection in Microsoft Edge, and that reinforcement is achieved by overlaying a watermark on sensitive data when viewed in the browser. Watermark protection in Microsoft Edge is – like in any other Microsoft solution – designed to discourage sharing screenshots, support compliance requirements, and increase the awareness of users when handling sensitive data. With that, watermark protection does not technically prevent users from sharing sensitive data, but it does make the user aware of the sensitivity of the data. And on top of that, it will become a lot easier to understand the source of a potential data leakage. This post will provide a closer look on …

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Excluding specific files from being uploaded to OneDrive

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This week is another relatively short blog post, again somewhat related to Microsoft Edge. This week, however, is about configuring some specific OneDrive configurations. More specifically, the focus will be on excluding specific files from being uploaded to OneDrive. Not something really new, but the importance became clear again this week. There can be many reasons why organizations might want to exclude specific files from being uploaded to OneDrive, but there are also some generic reasons that are applicable to most organizations. An often heard reason is related to desktop shortcuts. Synchronizing desktop shortcuts (or even shortcuts in general) often results in either duplicate shortcuts or shortcuts to missing applications. Another reason is related to organizational branding in Microsoft Edge. Customizing organizational branding relies on …

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Protecting against typosquatting with website typo protection in Microsoft Edge

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This week is a short post about website typo protection in Microsoft Edge. That subject was briefly mentioned earlier when discussing Enhanced Security Mode in this blog post about tightening browser security in Microsoft Edge. This week is mainly focused on awareness for website typo protection. Website typo protection is aimed at protecting users against typosquatting. Typosquatting is intended to hijack traffic of users that meant to visit well-known sites, but that made a spelling mistake. That hijacking is achieved by using addresses with common misspellings or typographical errors of those well-known sites. Often that is used as prank, ad, or (friendly) competition, but more and more often that is also being used for phishing and malware. In the latter cases, users will get to …

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