Forum Discussion
Keep Favorites Synced between Internet Explorer and Edge NOT available in Edge Chromium
Chris Jackson Deleted
I'm not quite sure what's so hard to understand about the issue.
This has nothing to do with Windows 7 or with Internet Explorer specifically. How IE mode suddenly came into the picutre - I have no idea. This is all about where to store the favorites in the new Edge.
The issue is the following:
- Users are using multiple computers. To have the same desktop, documents and favorites on all those computers Microsoft's "Folder Redirection" is used and configured through GPOs.
- So Internet Explorer's favorites are stored on e.g. \\server\users\%username%\favorites
- The old Edge has a GPO that allows it to automagically sync its own favorites with Internet Explorer's favorites that are stored on that network path. If you add a favorite in either IE or the old Edge it is automagically synced to the other browser instantly.
Now the new Edge comes along and we have to face the following limitations:
- Any kind of cloud-sync or usage of Microsoft accounts is not possible due to data privacy regulations
- The new Edge is storing its favorites in the local file deep inside the %LOCALAPPDATA% folder of the user.
This causes issues for us in a number of ways.
While the first-run import of favorites (from the redirected Internet Explorer favorites) is currently broken in v80 (its supposed to be back in v81) it only provides a momentary snapshot of the redirected favorites.
The bookmarks file being a local file means that we cannot easily back it up either. And when the user receives a new PC or uses a different machine than he usually does he'll have to import all the favorites again, from the redirected Internet Explorer favorites. But all the favorites he has managed in the new Edge in the meantime are not available (or even gone for good in the case of a new PC).
Importing the same old IE favorites on different PCs will soon result in having different favorites on all those PCs. And there is no way to easily merge them either.
This is a real problem.
We really need a way to redirect the bookmarks file to a network location so that it can be:
- used from multiple PCs
- be backed up easily during the regular server backup
- not get lost when the user's PC dies or gets replaced for another reason
All this was easily doable with the redirected favorites folder used by Internet Explorer and thanks to the "keep favorites synced" GPO in the old Edge Browser.
Also, please do not suggest to use the "UserDataDir" policy. This would redirect the entire user profile to a different location. Cache and everything. It is also not quite certain whether a redirected UserDataDir can actually be used by multiple instances of Edge on different computers at the same time (locked files issue and such). But even if it was possible, we really don't want to roam 100MB+ of useless data.
All we are really looking for is the possibility to specify a network location for the "bookmarks" file that is by default stored under "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default". That's all we really want and need.
Bonus points for actually bringing back the "keep favorites synced between IE and Edge" policy that the old Edge supported. But that would really only be the cherry on top.
it's not abandoned but the method that you would use to do it is changed now.
You can use this group policy to achieve what you want:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies#configure-favorites
you only have to do something only once and that is importing your current favorites to a file to push it to all of your workstations
"Configure favorites
Supported Versions: Microsoft Edge on Windows and Mac since version 77 or later
Description
Configures a list of managed favorites.
The policy creates a list of favorites. Each favorite contains the keys "name" and "url," which hold the favorite's name and its target. You can configure a subfolder by defining a favorites without an "url" key but with an additional "children" key that contains a list of favorites as defined above (some of which may be folders again). Microsoft Edge amends incomplete URLs as if they were submitted via the Address Bar, for example "microsoft.com" becomes "https://microsoft.com/".
These favorites are placed in a folder that can't be modified by the user (but the user can choose to hide it from the favorites bar). By default the folder name is "Managed favorites" but you can change it by adding to the list of favorites a dictionary containing the key "toplevel_name" with the desired folder name as the value.
Managed favorites are not synced to the user account and can't be modified by extensions."
- Hi,
The box to enter the URL's in this group policy is a single text box.
I have tried putting the example XML in a single line, I have also created an .xml and .html file on a web server and used the URL in this GP setting, none of these works.
I see the value in the target machines Registry, but still not favorites appears as managed.
do you have an example please ? No that is not it. I don't want to enforce specific Favorites with users. That has always been an option since IE 5 this setting.
I want Edge Chromium to look like EDGE did to the Favorites folder from Folder Redirection on the Users Server Home Drives. So %homeshare%%homedrive%\Favorites
This is ENTERPRISE. We do not use locally stored settings. We do use UEV but it doesn't seem to sync them either.
- It won't be local, it's just another GPO.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies#example-value-162
the XML file is pushed to the clients automatically using Group Policy management, so it won't be local but central.
you will be able to see the applied policies using this URL on Edge: edge://policy/
but you mentioned you don't want to enforce specific favorites to users, so I assume you want your clients/employees to be able to add any site they want to their favorites, is that right?
if that's the case, then you don't need to use that GPO, just rollout the new Edge to their machines. a work profile (not able to sync) will be automatically created for them.
Microsoft Edge can only sync with 2 types of accounts. 1 is free Microsoft accounts (@outlook, @hotmail, @live) or Azure Active Directory accounts (Microsoft/Office 365 subscriptions) with Enterprise state roaming
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/devices/enterprise-state-roaming-enable
also i think this is useful to mention that all of the favorites in Edge are saved in a file called bookmark and it's located in user directory folder:
"C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks"
it's not encrypted, you can open it via Notepad, change the contents (add/delete/modify) and then push it to your clients.We absolutely cannot use any type of Azure or Microsoft accounts. It violates security not to mention our Freedom of Information and Privacy act. We cannot have Microsoft having any access to any private Canadian health care data and we cannot store anything on any servers that have data in the US or accessible by admins outside of Canada because of the Patriot Act.
The IE Favorites are redirected now using Microsoft FOLDER Redirection to their Home Drives. Original Edge then syncs with IE Favorites using that GPO.
We don't want Favorites stored in the AppData\Local because AppData\Local never ever roams in any scenario. It doesn't roam with Roaming Profiles, it doesn't Roam with UEV, it doesn't roam in any way state or form (by design).Users need to be able to create favorites IN THEIR Favorites folder and have them appear in Edge on all their computers they login to exactly the same as it was with IE or Edge Original.
