Description: This policy applies for Microsoft Edge to all profile types, namely unsigned local user profiles, profiles signed in using a Microsoft Account, profiles signed in using Active Directory and profiles signed in using Microsoft Entra ID. The Enterprise new tab page for profiles signed in using Microsoft Entra ID can be configured in the M365 admin portal, but this policy setting takes precedence, so any M365 admin portal configurations will be ignored. If you enable or don't configure this policy, Microsoft Edge displays Microsoft content on the new tab page. The user can choose different display options for the content. These options include, but aren't limited to: Content off, Content visible on scroll, Headings only, and Content visible. Enabling this policy doesn't force content to be visible - the user can keep setting their own preferred content position. If you disable this policy, Microsoft Edge doesn't display Microsoft content on the new tab page, the Content control in the NTP settings flyout is disabled and set to "Content off", and the Layout control in the NTP settings flyout is disabled and set to "Custom". Related policies: 'NewTabPageAllowedBackgroundTypes' (Configure the background types allowed for the new tab page layout), 'NewTabPageQuickLinksEnabled' (Allow quick links on the new tab page).

Why It's Important: This setting removes Microsoft content—like news and ads—from the new tab page in Edge. That means users get a cleaner, distraction-free experience when opening a new tab. SHIELD disables this feature to reduce clutter and keep the browser focused on work-related tasks. It’s like clearing off a bulletin board so only the essentials are visible—helping users stay productive and avoid unnecessary distractions.

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Description: Hides the default top sites from the new tab page in Microsoft Edge. If you set this policy to true, the default top site tiles are hidden. If you set this policy to false or don't configure it, the default top site tiles remain visible.

Why It's Important: This setting removes the shortcut tiles for frequently visited sites from the new tab page, helping reduce clutter and distractions. It’s like clearing off a bulletin board so only the essentials are visible. SHIELD enables this policy to keep the browser experience clean and focused—especially in professional environments where suggested or personal browsing shortcuts may not be appropriate.

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Description: This policy lets users compare the prices of a product they are looking at, get coupons from the website they're on, or auto-apply coupons during checkout. If you enable or don't configure this policy, shopping features such as price comparison and coupons will be automatically applied for retail domains. Coupons for the current retailer and prices from other retailers will be fetched from a server. If you disable this policy shopping features such as price comparison and coupons will not be automatically found for retail domains.

Why It's Important: This policy disables shopping features in Microsoft Edge, such as price comparisons and automatic coupon suggestions. It helps maintain user privacy and prevents the browser from sending browsing data to external retail services, which is especially important on managed or privileged devices.

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Description: If you disable this policy, users won't be able to play the surf game when the device is offline or if the user navigates to edge://surf. If you enable or don't configure this policy, users can play the surf game.

Why It's Important: This policy disables the built-in surf game in Microsoft Edge, preventing users from accessing it while offline or via the edge://surf page. It helps maintain productivity, reduce distractions, and align the browser with enterprise-use policies.

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Description: Visual search lets you quickly explore more related content about entities in an image. If you enable or don't configure this policy, visual search will be enabled via image hover, context menu, and search in sidebar. If you disable this policy, visual search will be disabled and you won't be able to get more info about images via hover, context menu, and search in sidebar. Note: Visual Search in Web Capture is still managed by 'WebCaptureEnabled' (Enable the Screenshot (previously named Web Capture) feature in Microsoft Edge) policy.

Why It's Important: This policy disables the Visual Search feature in Microsoft Edge to prevent image-based data queries that could share content with external search services. It helps protect privacy and reduce the risk of unintentionally sending sensitive or internal images outside the organization.

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Description: This policy applies for Microsoft Edge to all profile types, namely unsigned local user profiles, profiles signed in using a Microsoft Account, profiles signed in using Active Directory and profiles signed in using Microsoft Entra ID. The Enterprise new tab page for profiles signed in using Microsoft Entra ID can be configured in the M365 admin portal, but this policy setting takes precedence, so any M365 admin portal configurations will be ignored. If you enable or don't configure this policy, Microsoft Edge displays Microsoft content on the new tab page. The user can choose different display options for the content. These options include, but aren't limited to: Content off, Content visible on scroll, Headings only, and Content visible. Enabling this policy doesn't force content to be visible - the user can keep setting their own preferred content position. If you disable this policy, Microsoft Edge doesn't display Microsoft content on the new tab page, the Content control in the NTP settings flyout is disabled and set to "Content off", and the Layout control in the NTP settings flyout is disabled and set to "Custom".

Why It's Important: This policy disables Microsoft content on the Edge new tab page, helping keep the browser interface clean, consistent, and focused on work-related use. It also prevents distractions and ensures the layout follows organizational settings instead of personal content preferences.

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Description: You can configure which types of background image that are allowed on the new tab page layout in Microsoft Edge. If you don't configure this policy, all background image types on the new tab page are enabled. Policy options mapping: * DisableImageOfTheDay (1) = Disable daily background image type * DisableCustomImage (2) = Disable custom background image type * DisableAll (3) = Disable all background image types Use the preceding information when configuring this policy.

Why It's Important: This policy controls which background images are allowed on the Edge new tab page. It helps keep the browser consistent with organizational branding, reduces distractions, and ensures visual settings align with company standards.

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Description: Configures the default home page URL in Microsoft Edge. The home page is the page opened by the Home button. The pages that open on startup are controlled by the 'RestoreOnStartup' (Action to take on startup) policies. You can either set a URL here or set the home page to open the new tab page. If you select to open the new tab page, then this policy doesn't take effect. If you enable this policy, users can't change their home page URL, but they can choose to use the new tab page as their home page. If you disable or don't configure this policy, users can choose their own home page, as long as the 'HomepageIsNewTabPage' (Set the new tab page as the home page) policy isn't enabled. This policy is available only on Windows instances that are joined to a Microsoft Active Directory domain or Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise instances enrolled for device management.

Why It's Important: This policy sets and locks the default home page in Microsoft Edge, ensuring users always start from a trusted and approved site. It helps maintain consistency across managed devices and reduces the risk of users visiting unsafe or unauthorized pages.

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Description: Configures the default URL for the new tab page. This policy determines the page that's opened when new tabs are created (including when new windows are opened). It also affects the startup page if that's set to open to the new tab page. This policy doesn't determine which page opens on startup; that's controlled by the 'RestoreOnStartup' (Action to take on startup) policy. It also doesn’t affect the home page if that’s set to open to the new tab page. If you don't configure this policy, the default new tab page is used. If you configure this policy and the 'NewTabPageSetFeedType' (Configure the Microsoft Edge new tab page experience) policy, this policy has precedence. If an invalid URL is provided, new tabs will open about://blank. This policy is available only on Windows instances that are joined to a Microsoft Active Directory domain or Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise instances that are enrolled for device management.

Why It's Important: This policy sets a specific page to open whenever a new tab is created in Microsoft Edge. It helps standardize the browsing experience across devices and ensures users start from an approved and consistent page.

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Description: By default, the App Launcher is shown every time a user opens a new tab page. If you enable or don't configure this policy, there is no change on the Microsoft Edge new tab page and App Launcher is there for users. If you disable this policy, App Launcher doesn't appear and users won't be able to launch M365 apps from Microsoft Edge new tab page via the App Launcher.

Why It's Important: This policy hides the Microsoft 365 App Launcher on the Edge new tab page. It helps create a cleaner and more focused browser experience while reducing unnecessary access points for users on managed or privileged devices.

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Description: Hides the default top sites from the new tab page in Microsoft Edge. If you set this policy to true, the default top site tiles are hidden. If you set this policy to false or don't configure it, the default top site tiles remain visible.

Why It's Important: This policy hides the default top sites on the new tab page in Microsoft Edge. It helps keep the browser layout clean and ensures users see only approved or relevant content when opening a new tab.

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