How to prevent users from installing extensions in Microsoft Edge

You can prevent others from installing extensions in Microsoft Edge using the Registry Editor and the Local Group Policy Editor. Although extensions are supposed to enhance your user experience, at times, they might make things worse. You can therefore block others from installing external or official extensions in the Edge browser.

Before getting started with the steps, you should know that there are two sections of this tutorial. First, you can block the installation of extensions overall; and second, you can prevent others from installing only external extensions that are not available in the official Edge repository or Chrome Web Store.

You will have to first download and add Group Policy Templates for Microsoft Edge. Otherwise, the Group Policy method won’t work.

Prevent users from installing extensions in Edge using GPEDIT

To prevent users from installing extensions in Edge using Group Policy Editor:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
2. Type gpedit.msc and hit the Enter button.
3. Go to Extensions in Computer Configuration.
4. Double-click on Control which extensions cannot be installed setting.
5. Select the Enabled option.
6. Click the Show button.
7. Enter * in the Value box.
8. Click the OK button.

To get started, press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, and press the Enter button to open the Local Group Policy Editor on your computer. Following that, navigate to this path-

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Classic Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Extensions

Double-click on Control which extensions cannot be installed setting, and choose the Enabled option. Then, click the Show button and enter * as the Value.

Click the OK button twice to save the change. After doing the last step, you won’t be able to install any extension in Edge.

The same thing can be done via Registry Editor. Before changing a value in the registry file, it is recommended to backup all Registry files.

Block users from installing extensions in Edge using Registry

To block users from installing extensions in Edge using Registry, follow these steps-

1. Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
2. Type regedit and hit the Enter button.
3. Click the Yes button.
4. Navigate to Microsoft in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
5. Right-click on Microsoft > New > Key.
6. Name it as Edge.
7. Right-click on Edge > New > Key.
8. Name it as ExtensionInstallBlocklist.
9. Right-click on ExtensionInstallBlocklist > New > String Value.
10. Name it as 1.
11. Double-click on 1 and set the value data as *.
12. Click the OK button.

Let’s check out these steps in detail.

At first, press Win+R, type regedit, and hit the Enter button. You can find the User Account Control pop-up window on your screen. If so, click the Yes button to open Registry Editor. Following that, navigate to this path-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

Right-click on Microsoft > New > Key, and name it as Edge. Then, right-click on Edge > New > Key and name it as ExtensionInstallBlocklist.

Following that, right-click on ExtensionInstallBlocklist, choose the New > String Value option and name it as 1.

Now, double-click on 1 to set the Value data as *.

Click the OK button to save changes.

If you follow these aforementioned steps, you can prevent users from install extensions from the official repository and Chrome Web Store. However, there is another method to install extensions in the Edge browser – importing the .crx file. These are called external extensions. If you want to block that, the following steps would be helpful.

Prevent users from installing External extensions in Edge using REGEDIT

To prevent users from installing External extensions in Edge, follow these steps-

1. Search for regedit in the Taskbar search box.
2. Click on the individual result.
3. Click the Yes button.
4. Navigate to Microsoft in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
5. Right-click on Microsoft > New > Key.
6. Name it as Edge.
7. Right-click on Edge > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
8. Name it as BlockExternalExtensions.
9. Double-click on it to set the Value data as 1.
10. Click the OK button.

Let’s delve into these steps in detail.

At first, search for regedit in the Taskbar search box and click on the Yes button followed by clicking on the respective result. After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this path-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

Right-click on Microsoft > New > Key, and call it Edge. Following that, right-click on Edge > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it as BlockExternalExtensions.

Then, double-click on BlockExternalExtensions and set the Value data as 1.

Click the OK button to save all changes.

Prevent users from installing external extensions in Edge using Group Policy

To prevent users from installing external extensions in Edge using Group Policy, follow these steps-

1. Search for gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box.
2. Click on the result.
3. Navigate to Extensions in Computer Configuration.
4. Double-click on Blocks external extensions from being installed setting.
5. Select the Enabled option.
6. Click the OK button.

Search for gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box, and click on the corresponding result to open Local Group Policy Editor. Then, navigate to the following path-

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Classic Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Extensions

Double-click on the Blocks external extensions from being installed setting, and choose the Enabled option.

Click the OK button to save changes.

Hope these guides help.