Disable Internet Explorer 11 as a standalone browser
- Policy ID
- DisableInternetExplorerApp
- Scope
- Computer Configuration, User Configuration
- Supported on
- At least Internet Explorer 11.0 on Windows 10
- Source
- Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
- Category
- Windows Components › Internet Explorer
Description
This policy lets you restrict launching of Internet Explorer as a standalone browser.
If you enable this policy, it:
- Prevents Internet Explorer 11 from launching as a standalone browser.
- Restricts Internet Explorer's usage to Microsoft Edge's native 'Internet Explorer mode'.
- Redirects attempts at launching Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge Stable Channel browser.
- Overrides any other policies that redirect to Internet Explorer 11.
Even with this policy enabled launching Internet Explorer 11 using COM automation will still be allowed. To disable COM automation launches of Internet Explorer 11 use the "Disable Internet Explorer 11 COM Automation" group policy.
If you disable, or don’t configure this policy, all sites are opened using the current active browser settings. Note: Microsoft Edge Stable Channel must be installed for this policy to take effect.
Options
Registry
- NotifyDisableIEOptionsREG_DWORD
- NotifyDisableIEOptionsREG_DWORD