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Restricting User Access to Cookie Settings in Microsoft Edge

Arunita Jaiswal 0 Reputation points
2025-05-26T07:27:07.16+00:00

My goal is to restrict user access to cookie settings in Microsoft Edge to prevent viewing key-value pairs stored in cookies by websites.

I tried configuring the following settings but did not achieve the expected output:

  • Setting: Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge
  • Policy Settings: "Block access to a list of URLs"
  • Value added: edge://settings/content

After applying the policy, when attempting to open the edge://settings/content page, it initially allows access, but upon refreshing the page, it becomes inaccessible with a warning message stating "settings is blocked - Your organization doesn't allow you to view this site." It seems the issue may be due to it being a local page and the policy applying late.

What can be done in this scenario, or are there alternative settings to achieve this goal?

Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Edge development
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  1. Jay Pham (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-08-19T07:37:05.0666667+00:00

    Hello Arunita Jaiswal,

    Thank you for your inquiry regarding restricting access to cookie settings in Microsoft Edge via Group Policy. I would like to clarify some important technical limitations and propose effective alternative solutions:

    Current Limitations

    1. Internal Edge URLs (edge://*) and URLBlocklist Policy:
      • The URLBlocklist policy does not always work reliably with internal Edge pages such as edge://settings/siteData. These pages are loaded before policy enforcement is fully applied, meaning the settings page may be accessible on the first attempt but blocked upon refresh, resulting in inconsistent user experience.
    2. No Policy to Hide Specific Interface Elements:
      • Microsoft Edge GPO does not currently provide a policy to selectively hide or disable only the cookie settings interface (edge://settings/content) without affecting other settings. Existing policies focus on cookie behavior itself (allow/block) rather than UI restrictions.
    3. Access via Developer Tools:
      • Even if you successfully block edge://settings/siteData, users can still view cookie key-value pairs using Developer Tools (F12 → Application → Storage → Cookies) unless Developer Tools access is also disabled.

    Recommended Solutions

    To more effectively prevent users from viewing cookie key-value pairs, consider the following approach:

    1. Block Only the Cookie Details Page:
      • Add edge://settings/siteData to the URLBlocklist GPO setting. This targets the page listing cookie details, minimizing UI disruption and potential policy errors.
    2. Disable Developer Tools:
      • Set the DeveloperToolsAvailability policy to 1 to prevent users from opening Developer Tools and accessing cookies through this method.
    3. Enforce Cookie Behavior via Policy:
      • Use policies like DefaultCookiesSetting, BlockThirdPartyCookies, or CookiesBlockedForUrls to control how cookies are handled, ensuring users cannot modify cookie behavior.
    4. Clear Cookies Automatically:
      • Enable the ClearBrowsingDataOnExit policy to remove cookies whenever Edge is closed, reducing the risk of users viewing stored cookie data.

    Action Steps

    1. Configure GPO:
      • Go to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge
        • Add edge://settings/siteData to URLBlocklist
        • Set DeveloperToolsAvailability to 1
        • Configure DefaultCookiesSetting (e.g., set to 3 to block third-party cookies)
    2. Apply and Test:
      • Run gpupdate /force on client machines.
      • Restart Edge and verify users cannot access edge://settings/siteData or Developer Tools.
    3. Feedback to Microsoft:
      • If your requirements are not fully met, consider submitting feedback via Edge (Alt + Shift + I) or Microsoft Q&A to request more granular UI control policies.

    I hope this helps you get things back on track quickly! If you agree with our suggestion, feel free to interact with the system accordingly!

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