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.
EXACTLY. that's where Group Policy comes into play.
ManagedFavorites
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies#managedfavorites
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.
"Managed favorites" is NOT what we want. We do NOT want to enforce certain favorites for all users. We want that our users have their OWN favorites on all computers. If they log onto machine #1 and add a new favorite, it should be available on machine #2 too.
I have a really hard time understanding how you manage to misunderstand every single post in this thread, sorry.
Data Protection Impact Assessments: Guidance for Data Controllers Using Microsoft Azure
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/gdpr-dpia-azure
Achieving GDPR compliance in the cloud with Microsoft Azure
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/achieving-gdpr-compliance-in-the-cloud-with-microsoft-azure/
Safeguard individual privacy with the Microsoft Cloud
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center/privacy/gdpr-overview
Azure Data Subject Requests for the GDPR and CCPA
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/gdpr-dsr-azure
Protecting privacy in Microsoft Azure: GDPR, Azure Policy Updates
Streamlining GDPR requests with the Azure portal
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/streamlining-gdpr-requests-with-the-azure-portal/
Azure or any other cloud application is not up for discussion. Period. It is simply not happening, no matter what Microsoft says. This is also not up for me to decide anyway.
And since you still didn't understand what our requirements in regards to favorites in the new Edge are I'll end the discussion with you about this here. I really don't want to spam this thread. It is too important for that.
What I wil do is list one final time what we need. One of these two features, or even both:
- A way to relocate the "bookmarks" file from "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default" to a network path of our choosing. Configurable through group policies.
- A way to keep the "bookmarks" file (regardless of location (local or moved to a network drive)) in sync with the "User Shell Folder" called "Favorites" (regardless of location; as configured in "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders") that is used by Internet Explorer.
- Spoiler
narutards wrote:Azure or any other cloud application is not up for discussion. Period. It is simply not happening, no matter what Microsoft says. This is also not up for me to decide anyway.
And since you still didn't understand what our requirements in regards to favorites in the new Edge are I'll end the discussion with you about this here. I really don't want to spam this thread. It is too important for that.
What I wil do is list one final time what we need. One of these two features, or even both:
- A way to relocate the "bookmarks" file from "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default" to a network path of our choosing. Configurable through group policies.
- A way to keep the "bookmarks" file (regardless of location (local or moved to a network drive)) in sync with the "User Shell Folder" called "Favorites" (regardless of location; as configured in "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders") that is used by Internet Explorer.
No matter what Microsoft says? wow.
Edit: imagine this situation where Microsoft or Google, for the sake of conversation, got sued, 1 billion $$ fines, for not respecting GDPR. can Microsoft and Google tell EU that no matter what you guys say?
So show them to whoever is in charge.
someone with the Wrong and False ideas got you all in trouble.
Oh I understand, don't worry.
the point is, there are Already ways and regulations to do what you want, but you are saying that someone else is forcing you not to go the straight way because they don't want to accept the realities.
I've showed you lots of documents and proofs that European laws are not in conflict with Microsoft terms of services. there is nothing what anyone else can do.
it's like I'm saying there is only 1 way to go from A to C which is B, but you say no I want to go from A to B through Z!
I wish you luck though, regardless.
- Spoiler
narutards wrote:"Managed favorites" is NOT what we want. We do NOT want to enforce certain favorites for all users. We want that our users have their OWN favorites on all computers. If they log onto machine #1 and add a new favorite, it should be available on machine #2 too.
I have a really hard time understanding how you manage to misunderstand every single post in this thread, sorry.
How am I misunderstanding?
this is what You wrote:
"
- We do not care what kind of favorites the users save.
- What we care about is making sure that users have the same favorites on all devices in the company.
- And we care about favorites not being lost when a computer is switched out or the harddisk dies.
"
You see? all those 3 points you mentioned can be covered by that group policy.
But now you seem to want an offline sync server, on-premise syncing server if you will.
to let employees use any device they want and have access to their own favorites in the new Edge.
But you also mixed all of that with Internet explorer!
you can do all that with a custom on-premise software that syncs files locally. Edge saves all favorites to a file called "bookmarks" in User Directory.
and since IE also does save favorites to a local directory, you can add that location to the sync list as well.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-sync-files-firewall-and-proxy
HotCakeX here is what you are misunderstanding.
he said he wants all users to have the same favorites on all their devices.
He means: each user have his own favorites list and that list need to be the same across all devices that user logs on to.
What you understand is that all users should have the same list of favorites. that's not the case, each user has his own favorites. That's not what he said, he wants each user to have his own favorites on all devices.
Hope that helps. (I'm in a similar situation)
- I understood it correctly, don't need to tell me how I understood it.
Cloud sync is the solution.
