Microsoft Edge: Configure IE Mode (Part 1)

IE Mode on Microsoft Edge provides compatibility for legacy sites that require Internet Explorer 11. IE Mode enables users to access modern and legacy sites using a single browser. Users no longer need to switch between browsers to access legacy intranet sites.

IE mode supports ActiveX controls such as Java and Silverlight, and it also supports Internet Explorer settings and group policies that affect Protected Mode and security zone settings.

In part one of this two-part series, I will configure IE Mode using Group Policy and Microsoft Intune.

Review “About IE mode” in the references section for further details on supported and unsupported Internet Explorer functionality.

Configure IE Mode with Group Policy

There are two group policy settings that should be configured to enable IE Mode on Microsoft Edge:

Configure Internet Explorer integration
Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List policy

These group policy settings can be configured in the User Configuration or Computer Configuration section of the group policy:

Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge
User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge

I’ve covered the Microsoft Edge Administrative Templates in more detail in a previous post: Microsoft Edge: Viewing applied policies.

I’m using the Computer Configuration section because I will be applying the group policy to computer accounts in Active Directory. I will now show the steps to configure each of the policy settings.

Configure Internet Explorer integration

Find the setting in the right hand pane and open to configure. Set the policy to Enabled and select Internet Explorer mode in the dropdown menu under options. This will open the configured sites in IE Mode on Microsoft Edge.

Selecting Internet Explorer 11 will open the site in a separate Internet Explorer window and None will prevent users from configuring IE Mode in Microsoft Edge.

Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List policy

Find the setting in the right hand pane and open to configure. Set the policy to Enabled and enter the path to the site list XML file. The path of the XML file can be a HTTPS location (which is recommended), a network share, or a local file on the device.

I’ve added the required group policy settings to configure IE Mode on Microsoft Edge. The Enterprise Mode Site List XML file will be covered in part two of this series. The next section contains the steps to configure IE mode settings using Microsoft Intune.

Configure IE Mode with Intune

To configure IE Mode on Microsoft Edge with Intune, I will create a configuration profile in Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (https://endpoint.microsoft.com/). Once logged onto to the portal, select:

Devices – Configuration profiles – Create profile

On Create a profile, select “Windows 10 and later” for the platform and “Administrative Templates” for the profile, then select Create at the bottom of the page to continue.

I will now go through the steps to create the new profile with the required settings, which are the same settings configured in group policy:

Configure Internet Explorer integration
Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List policy

Basics

Enter a name for the configuration profile and an optional description. Select Next to continue to the next step.

Configuration settings

With the configuration settings in Intune, you can also decide whether you want to apply the settings to the user or computer configuration.

The policy settings for Microsoft Edge are in the following locations:

Computer Configuration/Microsoft Edge
User Configuration/Microsoft Edge

Configure Internet Explorer integration

The easiest way to find the required setting is to start typing on the search bar. I’ve selected the “All settings” node and start typing Configure Internet Explorer integration. Two results are displayed for the same setting, one being the user setting and the other being the device setting. I will be applying the settings to my devices.

Once selecting the device or user settings, on the new menu select Enabled and Internet Explorer mode to enable IE Mode for Microsoft Edge.

Selecting Internet Explorer 11 will open the site in a separate Internet Explorer window and None will prevent users from configuring IE Mode in Microsoft Edge.

Select OK and then Next to move on to the next step.

Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List

In the search bar start typing Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List and select the device or user policy setting depending on the requirement. I will configure the device setting.

On the new menu I will select Enabled and enter the path to the Enterprise Mode Site list XML file. The path of the XML file can be a HTTPS location (which is recommended), a network share, or a local file on the device. Select OK then Next to continue to the next section Scope tags.

The Enterprise Mode Site List XML file will be covered in part two of this series.

Scope tags

I leave the scope tag on default and select Next to continue.

For more information on scope tags and their usage, refer to the Microsoft Docs article.

Assignments

Select the users or devices to assign the policy to. I’ve select “All devices” to deploy the configuration profile to all my Intune enrolled devices. Select Next to continue.

I’ve previously published an article showing how to deploy Microsoft Edge using Intune where I’ve explained the assignment configuration in more detail. I’ve included a link to this article at the end of this post.

I’ve covered assignment configuration in more detail in a previous post: Microsoft Edge: Deploy with Intune

Review + create

On this screen you can review your selections to confirm the settings are configured according to your requirements, before creating the new configuration profile. Select Create to create the new configuration profile.

I’ve completed the required steps to configure IE Mode on Microsoft Edge using an Intune configuration profile.

Summary

Configuration of the settings required to enable IE Mode on Microsoft Edge is easily achieved using group policy or Microsoft Intune.

An important component of this configuration, which I will cover in part two of this series, is the Enterprise Mode Site List file that controls which sites are opened in IE Mode.

I’ll also test the policy by opening these sites to show how the XML file configuration determines the the compatibility mode configuration.