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.
Henno_Keers Yes, the roaming profile location is optional. But for us it is kind of crucial.
We've been using Folder Redirection to redirect the favorites folder to a network path, so every instance of Internet Explorer (and the old Edge thanks to the sync GPO) were accessing the same favorites, not matter what computer you were logged onto.
Since we aren't using Roaming Profiles the plan was to put the "profile.pb" file onto a network path too, but ... it doesn't even take me 2 minutes to break the synchronisation of favorites with two instances of Edge running on two different computers.
This is almost worse than having no sync between computers. Because there is no easy way to get these computers to sync again.
We really need a way that allows concurrent Edge sessions on multiple computers, sharing the same set of favorites among all devices the user is currently logged onto.
I've already thought of utilizing powershell login and logout scripts to read the "bookmarks" file and extract all favorites from it, storing them on a network path and syncing them that way. Adding new ones that way would be easy, but deleting them would be a pain when multiple computers are involved (one always has an older state than the others).
But as things stand now, I'm not sure I can enable the current on-premise "solution" as it breaks way too easily and causes issues for the user but also is sure to cause quite a number of support calls for our internal IT hotline. Shame.
p.s. Please stop feeding the trolls.
With 2 instances of Edge on 2 computers you mean: the same user logs on on 2 different systems and start Edge which opens the same profile.db file on 1 location.
Iam not suprised that this does not work. I suppose file and record locking was never part of the design in handling the profile.db file.
I would suggest in using classic roaming profiles with a lot of exclusions to roam the user experience. Then 2 instances of the same user have 2 local copies and the only risk is that the last one written, wins.
I agree that this requires quite a bit of fast storage, preferable in DFS config and some setting up of the roaming config (Exclusions!!)
Using a powershell or other scripting around a highly custom / specific solution seems to me even harder to support or to get supported.
You could also use a 3rd party roaming solution like VMware DEM to do this for you, but that costs money and needs setting and maintaining up too, which is even more difficult then roaming profiles.