Policy
Configure Web Content Filtering
Microsoft Edge
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows7
Configure this policy to block access to specific categories of websites in Microsoft Edge on Windows devices. Web Content Filtering is available exclusively in Microsoft Edge on Windows and requires the appropriate Microsoft 365 licensing. When this policy is enabled, users are blocked from accessing URLs that fall within the defined list of content categories. You can configure this by adding Category Strings to the list of blocked categories. If the policy is not configured or is disabled, no categories will be blocked. To view the list of supported content categories, including each Category String and its definition, refer to: https://learn.microsoft.com/defender-endpoint/web-content-filtering?view=o365-worldwide#category-definitions To block a specific URL outside of a category, use the “Block access to a list of URLs” policy. To allow a specific URL that falls under a blocked category, use the “Define a list of allowed URLs” policy. Note: This policy is supported only when deployed through the Edge management service, not via Microsoft Intune. To use this policy, your organization must have one of the following licenses: - Microsoft 365 A1, A3, or A5 - Microsoft 365 Business Premium - Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Standard with Intune Plan 1 or Plan 2 Policy options mapping: * chat (chat) = Chat * child_abuse_images (child_abuse_images) = Child Abuse Images * criminal_activity (criminal_activity) = Criminal Activity * download_sites (download_sites) = Download Sites * gambling (gambling) = Gambling * games (games) = Games * hacking (hacking) = Hacking * hate_and_intolerance (hate_and_intolerance) = Hate and Intolerance * illegal_drug (illegal_drug) = Illegal Drug * illegal_software (illegal_software) = Illegal Software * image_sharing (image_sharing) = Image Sharing * instant_messaging (instant_messaging) = Instant Messaging * nudity (nudity) = Nudity * peer_to_peer (peer_to_peer) = Peer to Peer * pornography_or_sexually_explicit (pornography_or_sexually_explicit) = Pornography or Sexually Explicit * professional_networking (professional_networking) = Professional Networking * self_harm (self_harm) = Self Harm * sex_education (sex_education) = Sex Education * social_networking (social_networking) = Social Networking * streaming_and_downloads (streaming_and_downloads) = Streaming Media and Downloads * tasteless (tasteless) = Tasteless * violence (violence) = Violence * weapons (weapons) = Weapons * web_based_email (web_based_email) = Web Based Email * gen_ai (gen_ai) = Gen AI * shopping (shopping) = Shopping * 3p_search_engines (3p_search_engines) = 3P Search Engines * none (none) = None Use the preceding information when configuring this policy. Example value: gambling streaming_and_downloads games
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
No explicit registry values are set for enabled or disabled states.
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Scope | Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
List of blocked categories ID WebContentFilteringBlockedCategoriesDesc | list | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\WebContentFilteringBlockedCategories Value name 1, 2, … Type REG_SZ | List: standard |