How to Force Sync Microsoft Edge Settings Using Custom ADMX in Intune

Managing browser settings across an organization is a critical aspect of IT management, especially when it comes to ensuring consistency, security, and compliance. Microsoft Edge, with its deep integration into the Microsoft ecosystem, offers a range of synchronization features that are vital for organizations using Microsoft 365. However, enforcing these settings across all users and devices can be challenging, particularly when certain policies aren’t natively available within Intune’s administrative templates. The good news is that with a bit of customization, you can now force sync Edge settings across your organization using a custom policy in Intune. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from understanding the need to testing the policy on your devices.

Why Enforcing Edge Syncing is Crucial

Microsoft Edge allows users to sync their browsing data, such as bookmarks, passwords, extensions, and settings, across multiple devices. This feature is incredibly useful in a corporate environment where users often switch between different devices. However, there are situations where it is necessary to enforce these sync settings—whether for ensuring a consistent user experience, maintaining compliance with corporate policies, or enhancing security by ensuring that all users are operating with the same configurations.

Without enforced synchronization, there’s a risk that some users might disable or alter these settings, leading to inconsistencies that can complicate IT management and potentially introduce security vulnerabilities. This is where the ability to force sync settings via a custom policy becomes indispensable.

Creating a Custom Policy for Edge Syncing

To enable the force sync option for Microsoft Edge, you’ll need to create a custom policy by ingesting an ADMX file into Intune. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Understand the Requirement: Before creating the custom policy, it’s important to grasp what ADMX ingestion entails. ADMX files are administrative templates used by Group Policy to define registry-based policies. By ingesting these templates into Intune, you can manage settings that aren’t available through the default templates.
2. Partial ADMX Ingestion: While Microsoft provides a comprehensive ADMX file for Edge, you don’t need to import the entire file into Intune. Instead, you can extract just the necessary part—the ForceSync setting. This minimizes the complexity and potential for errors.Follow the official Microsoft guide to ingest the required portion of the ADMX file: Configure Microsoft Edge with MDM using ADMX ingestion.
3. Configure the Policy in Intune: Once you’ve ingested the ADMX file, it’s time to configure the ForceSync setting. Set this policy to “Enabled” to enforce synchronization across all devices.

Testing Your Custom Policy

After deploying the policy through Intune, it’s essential to test it to ensure it’s working as expected:

1. Deploy the Policy: Assign the policy to a test group within your organization. This allows you to verify that it applies correctly without impacting all users.
2. Verify the Registry: On a test device, open the Windows Registry Editor and navigate to the policymanager path. You should see the new policy listed under the appropriate key.
3. Check Edge Notifications: Open Microsoft Edge on the test device. You should receive a notification indicating that sync settings have been applied. This confirms that the policy is functioning correctly.

Download the Deployment Scripts

To simplify the deployment process, I’ve created a JSON and PowerShell script that you can use to deploy this custom policy to your Intune tenant. You can download them here: Download Deployment Scripts.

Conclusion

Forcing the sync of Microsoft Edge settings is a powerful way to maintain consistency and security across your organization’s devices. While this feature isn’t currently available within the default Intune administrative templates, you can achieve it through custom ADMX ingestion. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that all Edge browsers in your organization are properly synced with users’ Microsoft 365 accounts.

Don’t wait for Microsoft to roll out this feature natively—take control and implement it yourself with this custom solution!