This blog post will show how to disable Microsoft Edge Workspaces through the Intune admin center. Microsoft Edge Workspaces lets users create and share groups of browser tabs for different tasks or purposes.
Users can create Edge workspaces to arrange open tabs for various projects neatly. When it’s time to work on a project, they can effortlessly access the Edge workspace, where all the information is conveniently organized in one place.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites for using Microsoft Edge Workspace
- Microsoft Entra admin center tenant.
- Edge version 114 or later.
- Users must have One Drive for a business license to create Edge workspace.
For additional information on Microsoft Edge Workspaces, please visit this link: Microsoft Edge Workspaces.
Where can I find the Edge Workspace Icon in the browser?
You can locate the Microsoft Edge Workspace icon at the top-left corner, as shown in the screenshot below:
STEP 1 – Create a Device Configuration Profile
To disable Edge workspace using Intune, you can follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Intune admin center.
- Click on Devices > Configuration > Create > New Policy.
- Platform: Windows 10 and later
- Profile type: Settings Catalog
Basics Tab
Please provide a Name and Description of the Policy to Identify it on the Intune admin center.
- Name: Disable Edge Workspace on Windows 10/11
- Description: This device configuration profile will disable Microsoft Edge workspace on targeted users/devices.
Configuration settings
Click on + Add settings and then search for Edge Workspace in the settings picker. Select Microsoft Edge Workspaces settings and then select the Enable Workspaces setting to add under the Configuration settings page.
Keep the setting at a disabled state and proceed to the next step.
Assignments
Create an Entra security group containing users or devices where this configuration profile needs to be deployed. If you prefer a more controlled deployment to specific devices only, then make sure to target only devices. Once your testing is successful and you want to deploy this profile on all Organization devices, you can click on + Add all devices.
Review + Create
Review the device configuration profile details 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 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.
STEP 2 – Monitoring Deployment Progress
To monitor the deployment progress of a Device configuration profile, follow the below steps:
- Sign in to the Intune admin center.
- Click on Devices and then select Configuration.
- Choose the Device Configuration profile you want to work with, and at the top of the page, you’ll see a quick view of the Success, Failure, Conflict, Not Applicable, and In Progress status.
- Click on View report to access more detailed information.
End-user Experience
The Workspace Icon in the Edge toolbar will disappear once the policy settings are successfully applied to the target users/devices. Users won’t be able to re-enable the Workspace since this setting will be controlled through the Intune admin center.
How do you manually hide the Microsoft Edge Workspace Icon?
The Edge Workspace Icon is displayed by default on the browser’s toolbar. You can hide it by right-clicking on the Icon and selecting Hide from toolbar.
To re-enable the Workspace Icon, you can follow these steps:
- Type edge://settings/appearance#CustomizeToolbar in the Edge address bar and press Enter.
- Scroll down the page to find Show Workspaces.
- Use the toggle switch to enable it again.
This will bring the Workspace Icon back to your toolbar.
FAQs
How do you disable Microsoft Edge Workspace using Registry?
You can create a registry key called Edge, and under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ key, create a DWORD registry entry under the Edge key called EdgeWorkspacesEnabled. Set its value to 0 to disable Edge workspace.
As the registry entry is being created under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE node, it will affect all uses on that device. A restart of the device will be required to complete this process.
How to disable Edge Workspace using GPO?
Log on to the domain controller > Open Group Policy Management Console and follow the below steps:
– Create a New Group Policy Object; you can name it Disable Edge Workspaces.
– Navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Edge Workspaces Settings.
– On the right-hand side, you will find the Enable Workspaces setting. Right-click on it and select Edit.
– Select the Disabled radio button to Disable Edge Workspaces.
[Now, you can Link this GPO to either an OU containing Computers or Link it directly to the domain level]
