This blog post will show us how to block or whitelist Edge extensions using Intune. This will give you greater control over which extensions can be used on your organization’s devices, helping to keep your data secure and your employees productive.
Permitting users to install browser extensions can pose a security risk, as they may inadvertently add a malicious extension that could harm the device or the organization. As an Intune administrator, managing and controlling the extensions that end users can install is essential.
A best practice is blocking all extension installations and only permitting specific extensions approved by the administrator. This approach ensures that the extensions are secure and regularly updated.
If you manage your organization’s devices through Intune, you can create a device configuration profile that includes settings for allowing or blocking extensions in Microsoft Edge. You can then apply this profile to the target devices.
We’ll utilize the Microsoft Edge ADMX template settings to configure the block or whitelist of extensions. To create a block list or whitelist, you’ll need the Extension ID. Let’s review the steps to find the Extension ID and create the device configuration profile.
Block/Whitelisting Extensions in Google Chrome
Table of Contents
Step 1 – Find the Extension ID that you want to Whitelist
To find the Extension ID in Microsoft Edge, follow the below steps.
- Launch the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Click on the three dots on the top right-hand side corner.
- Click on Extensions.
- Click on Manage extensions > Get extensions for Microsoft Edge.
- Search for the Extension that you want to whitelist. Let’s take Adobe Acrobat as an example. Please search for the Extension and then click on it.
- At the top of the page, in the browser’s address bar, you should be able to locate the Extension ID as a part of the URL. Copy the Extension ID and paste it into a notepad.
- Repeat this process for all other extensions you want to whitelist, copying their Extension IDs into the notepad. You’ll need these Extension IDs when creating a policy in Intune.
Step 2 – Create a Device configuration profile to block Edge Extensions
The next step is to create a device configuration profile in Intune. Let’s check the steps:
- Sign in to the Intune admin center.
- Go to Devices > Configuration > Create > New Policy.
- Select Platform as Windows 10 and later
- Profile type as Templates
- Click on Administrative Templates > Create
If you can’t find the Microsoft Edge ADMX template in Intune, you can refer to my other blog post, which provides a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to Download Microsoft Edg ADMX template files and Import an ADMX file into Intune.
Note
Basics Tab
Provide a Name and Description of the Policy and click Next.
Configuration Settings
- Go to Computer Configuration > Microsoft Edge > Extensions folder.
- Search for the setting “Control which extensions cannot be installed“
- Select the Enabled radio button.
- Extension IDs the user should be prevented from installing (or * for all): Add * in the text box and click OK to save.
Instead of blocking all extensions using a wild card character *. You can also provide the extension IDs to block only specific extensions in Microsoft Edge.
In this scenario, we are Blocking All Edge Extensions and using Extension IDs to exempt from the block list setting to whitelist specific Extensions.
Note
- Search for a setting to Allow specific extensions to be installed and click Enabled.
- In the Extension IDs to exempt from the block list text box, enter one Extension ID per row for the extensions you want to whitelist. In our example, we are whitelisting the Adobe Acrobat extension, so we have provided the Extension ID for Adobe Acrobat.
Assignments
Click Add groups and select Entra security group containing Windows 10/11 devices or Entra ID users. Adding devices to the group and targeting them is recommended for a controlled deployment. Once testing proves successful, you can expand the deployment by including additional devices in the group.
Review + Create
Review the device configuration profile on the Review + Create tab and click Create.
Sync Intune Policies
The device check-in process might not begin immediately. If you’re testing this policy on a test device, you can manually kickstart the Intune sync from the device itself or remotely through the Intune admin center.
Alternatively, you can use PowerShell to force the Intune sync on Windows devices. Restarting the device is another way to trigger the Intune device check-in process.
End-user Experience
Let’s see how this policy affects the end user’s device. After successfully deploying this policy, open the Edge browser to test whether the installation of all extensions is blocked and whether only the specific extension (in this case, Adobe Acrobat) is allowed according to the whitelist.
If any existing extensions were installed when this policy was applied, they will also be blocked. Only the extensions that you whitelist from Intune will be allowed. An error may show up on Edge: Some extensions are not allowed.
Now, let’s check if we can install any other extension in Edge. An error message is displayed when attempting to install the Nord VPN browser extension: Your admin has blocked <extension name> for Privacy and Security – App ID <AppID>.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we’ve explored the straightforward process of creating block lists and whitelists for extensions using Intune for the Microsoft Edge browser. You don’t need to use OMA-URI settings; you can leverage Edge ADMX settings to establish block lists and whitelists for Edge extensions and apply them to end-user devices.
What is the best way to remove extensions already installed?
Hey Tom, Is there any particular reason for removing the extension? Blocking it makes it unusable anyway. The best way to manage is to Block All Edge extensions and Whitelist only the ones that are approved by your organization.