This guide covers how to configure Microsoft Edge browser homepage settings using Windows Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO). This method is essential when you need to enforce consistent homepage settings across all users in your organization.

To force set Edge browser homepage via GPO, you need to install Microsoft Edge administrative templates first, then configure two key policies:

• RestoreOnStartup: Defines the action to take when the browser starts
• RestoreOnStartupURLs: Specifies the list of sites to open at startup

 

 

1. Prerequisites – to Set Edge Browser Homepage via Windows AD GPO

Verify that your environment supports Edge homepage configuration via GPO.

Component	Requirement
Operating System	Windows 10 or later, Windows Server 2016 or later
Domain Environment	Computers joined to Active Directory domain
Edge Version	Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
Administrative Rights	Domain administrator or GPO edit permissions

 

 

2. Download and Install Edge Administrative Templates

2-1. Download Template Files

1. Visit the Microsoft Edge Enterprise page
2. Locate Policy templates and download the MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates.cab file
3. Double-click the downloaded CAB file to extract the contents

2-2. Install Templates to Central Store

Copy the files to the following paths on your domain controller:

File Type	Source Path	Destination Path
ADMX File	windows\admx\msedge.admx	%systemroot%\sysvol\domain\policies\PolicyDefinitions
ADML File	windows\admx\en-US\msedge.adml	%systemroot%\sysvol\domain\policies\PolicyDefinitions\en-US

 

 

3. Create and Configure GPO

3-1. Create New GPO

1. Open Group Policy Management console
2. Right-click Group Policy Objects and select New
3. Enter a name for the GPO (e.g., “Edge Homepage Configuration”)

3-2. Configure Homepage Policies

Right-click the created GPO and select Edit, then:

Computer Configuration Settings

Navigate to Computer Configuration → Policies → Administrative Templates → Microsoft Edge → Startup, home page and new tab page.

Required Policy 1: Action to Take on Startup

1. Double-click Action to take on startup policy
2. Select Enabled
3. Choose Open a list of URLs from the options
4. Click OK

Required Policy 2: Sites to Open on Browser Start

1. Double-click Sites to open when the browser starts policy
2. Select Enabled
3. Click Show button
4. Enter the desired URLs (e.g., https://intranet.company.com)
5. Add additional URLs if needed for multiple startup pages
6. Click OK

 

 

4. Link and Apply GPO

4-1. Link GPO to Organizational Unit

1. In Group Policy Management, select the target Organizational Unit (OU)
2. Drag the created GPO to the OU to establish the link
3. Click OK in the confirmation dialog

4-2. Force Policy Update

To apply immediately on client computers, run:

gpupdate /force

 

 

5. Verify Configuration and Test

5-1. Verify Policy Application

1. Open Edge browser and navigate to edge://policy
2. Click Reload policies
3. Verify the following policies are displayed:

Policy Name	Value	Status
RestoreOnStartup	4	✅
RestoreOnStartupURLs	Your configured URLs	✅

5-2. Registry Verification

Check the following registry path using Registry Editor:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\

• RestoreOnStartup DWORD value: 4
• RestoreOnStartupURLs subkey containing your URL values

 

 

6. Related Policy Settings

Additional policies commonly used with homepage configuration:

Policy	Path	Purpose
Configure the home page URL	Startup, home page and new tab page	Sets URL for home button clicks
Configure the new tab page URL	Startup, home page and new tab page	Defines new tab page content
Show Home button	Startup, home page and new tab page	Enables the home button

 

 

This guide covered the complete process of forcing Edge browser homepage settings via Windows AD GPO. The key requirement is configuring both RestoreOnStartup and RestoreOnStartupURLs policies together.

After configuration, always verify policy application status using edge://policy and troubleshoot systematically if issues arise. 🙂