Forum Discussion
Windows 10 Kiosk with Edge Chromium
We are testing Windows 10 Kiosk Mode with the new Edge Chromium Browser as the app to launch in full screen mode. Edge Chromium is installed and working, however in the Kiosk Attended Setup, the Edge App is noted with the old Edge logo.
We are able to select Edge and reboot. Upon reboot, the machine auto-logs in and tries to start Edge Chromium (guessing), however we never move beyond a blank blue screen.
Any idea if this is something that should be working? Or if not, when we might expect it to work?
The Windows 10 Settings, Accounts, Assigned Access sets Microsoft Edge Legacy as the browser for your kiosk device. When the new version of Microsoft Edge (Chromium based) Stable channel is installed, Microsoft Edge Legacy is hidden and all attempts to launch Microsoft Edge Legacy are redirected to the new version. For more details see Access Microsoft Edge Legacy after installing the new version of Microsoft Edge and Windows updates to support the next version of Microsoft Edge.
The reason you’re seeing the blue screen is because Assigned Access is trying to launch the new version of Microsoft Edge, which is not currently supported in this scenario. To continue using Microsoft Edge Legacy kiosk mode deploy the Microsoft Edge Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience policy, set it to Disabled. The Configure for Windows article has instructions on downloading the Microsoft Edge policy template and setting a policies.
Let me know if you have any further issues or question.
ShipUPride Thanks for letting us know! Can you please confirm which version of Edge you are using, Stable, Beta, Dev, or Canary? And if you haven't yet, can you please submit feedback through the browser so that our team has a log of the blue screen crash?
Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft EdgeDeleted
Thanks. I'll do so through the browser as well, however just to be clear this is not a BSOD. Just a blank blue screen. This is stable release downloaded today. Version 79.0.309.65 (64 bit)
ShipUPride Thanks for the quick reply. Our team is looking into this now and I'll let you know if/when they have further questions or insights!
Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft Edge
Could you please tell me how to stop the automatic install of the new Edge Chromium!
We have a Kiosk running for a year now and that was working fine with the old Edge. When we first started using the pc as 'Kiosk'we could not use a browser in Assigned Access, so I used the Startup option. This was not ideal, because the browser were not consistent in full screen with the site I needed to show. Then with a W10 update I finally could use Edge and that worked as we wanted.
Now Microsoft desided that we have to install Edge Chromium and with that breaks the functionallity we need. I really don't understand why you do that to your customers. You can't push something that is broken and have no alternative!
I hope you have a quick fix, so I don't need to uninstall the new Edge every time it was pushed again.
It took some time, but I found a way to 'uninstall' Edge Chromium. Unfortunatly it seems not possible to uninstall the KB using the configuration update tool.
Be carefull it is not the official way, this does not exist, but it seems to work for me.
1. Open file explorer
2. Browse to C:/Program Files/Microsoft
3. Delete the Edge folder
4. Reboot, I am not sure if this is necessary, I just did
5. Make Edge the default app for browing
6. Start Edge
7. Add a registerkey to block the update, which hopefully works or stay working. I found this on this
website: https://winaero.com/blog/prevent-microsoft-edge-chromium-from-installing-via-windows-update/
Open regedit and goto:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Add a new 32-bit DWORD DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium=1
While I deleted the Kiosk mode I restore it and logged on with the Kiosk user, big smile it works again.
Raj_GSMicrosoft
Sorry about your trouble! Have you tried the suggestions at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/deploy/microsoft-edge-kiosk-mode-deploy#setup-required-for-microsoft-edge-legacy-kiosk-mode?
Are you seeing the issue even after following the steps documented in that article to prevent the new Edge from hindering the Kiosk experience?
vatsalajadiaShipUPride
Hi Team,I would like you to pay attention over the history being injected in new Edge which is from chrome not from Edge. I am not able to understand how my personal data (bookmarks, history etc) injected to my work email.
My work data is lost when I migrated to the new version.
Another small bug is with the icons being bookmarked are transient , sometimes they show up and sometimes not.
When i visited the import setting I am not able to find the Edge setting.
Regards,
Vatsala
Microsoft Employee
- I would suggest starting a new thread to express your technical issue as to not add confusion to this thread.
What is the latest on this? Getting ready to deploy kiosks to front line workers. Happy using legacy Edge but its annoying with the constant pop up about downloading the new edge when it doesnt work with Assigned Access.
Adrian_GutaJason Maclauchlan thank you for excitement around Kiosk mode.
We are actively working to enable a kiosk mode experience with the new Microsoft Edge and assigned access in upcoming Windows 10 releases. The insider preview program for this new capability will be available later this year, and it will be generally available next year.
I would like to understand the current requirements that you have for the Kiosk mode and connect with you offline. Please DM if you would like to connect.
As in regards to pop-up messages, if that is a true problem that creates issues, I am more than happy to better understand it and see if there is anything to remediate it.
Adrian, I too require Edge to run in Kiosk mode. My requirements are quite simple. Open a browser Window and sign into an ERP system.
I am a Microsoft Partner and have been setting up clients with Windows for over 15 years. Time and time again, I try to wear the Microsoft hat and promote Microsoft products whenever possible only to have my credibility compromised because of Microsoft's failure to provide a satisfactory alternative to a competing product. I have yet to sway a single customer away from Google Chrome and use Microsoft Edge. I myself use FireFox because it has better privacy than Google Chrome. Microsoft Edge has proven to be an inferior product and I will continue to recommend away from Microsoft Edge for my customers. The latest incompatibility with Kiosk mode in Windows 10 is just another example of how poorly Microsoft Edge is designed for business use. How does Microsoft expect their partners to deploy Microsoft products when their partners are not confident in the product. I am now fighting the same battle with my customers trying to get them to use Teams instead of Zoom for web meetings. Zoom is so easy to setup and create adhoc on-the-fly meetings it puts Microsoft Teams to shame.
I agree with Jason in that Kiosk mode should have been available day-one with Microsoft Edge if Microsoft is going to gain any traction with Google Chrome. Saying that it now has "Chromium Guts" does nothing but confirm my customer's continued use of Google Chrome; and consider Edge to be an inferior browser and should be used to install a different browser when they first set up Windows 10. Your efforts with Microsoft Edge are appreciated, but are not improving the situation. Why not devote your efforts to making Google Chrome or Firefox compatible with Windows 10 Kiosk mode and abandon Edge all together? Perhaps start listening to your Partners who work with your customers on a daily basis?
Thank you
- Raj_GS
Adding Adrian_Guta and LilyHou to comment on Jason Maclauchlan 's question
We have about 60 workstations running in Kiosk mode that use Edge Legacy, I would really like to install the new Edge Chromium. Any updates on this?
- Adrian_Guta
WC_KStill thank you for the message.
As posted above we are actively working to enable a kiosk mode experience with the new Microsoft Edge and assigned access in upcoming Windows 10 releases. The insider preview program for this new capability will be available later this year, and it will be generally available next year.I would like to understand the current requirements that you have for the Kiosk mode and connect with you offline. Please DM if you would like to connect.
So it sounds like this will not be available until April/May 2021 (at the earliest!) - this will be at least a full year since 2004 was released, which is rather stupid really. Should have left legacy Edge on 2004 for those with new Windows installations that cannot roll back, with new Edge as an opt-in update, or at least have a very easy way to re-activate legacy Edge for those less technical.
Kiosk mode is there for a reason and without it leaves having no choice but to fudge it by making Edge load on start-up and can be easily escaped by anyone who knows how to Alt+F4, or, Start Button to get out of it
It would at least be good if you had some kind of interim solution that can lock-down a local account to disable escaping from Edge without some kind of PIN or an Administrator password prompt (which should also pop up for when Ctrl+Alt+Del / task manager is requested too)
Again, kiosk mode support for Edge Chromium should have been there from Day 1 - so please provide a non-technical interim solution, or provide support by the next release update (ie. 2010 or whatever it will be)
- Adrian_Guta
ShipUPride thank you for trying out kiosk mode.
Have you checked the documentation we have for Configuring Microsoft Edge kiosk mode?
From what you are describing "Edge is shown with the old logo in the attended set up" (kiosk mode assigned access?) tells me that is actually old Edge and:
1. Either you are not running the Windows Insiders Preview mentioned in the documentation. To make it work check the step-by-step instructions here.
2. You are running Edge Canary that was installed at a system level. To make it work install Edge Dev, Beta 87.
Assigned access kiosk mode has been enabled at this moment on the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview, version 20215 or higher. We are working on getting this available to the previous Windows 10 versions, but targeting to be available early next year.
You can try Microsoft Edge kiosk mode in a non assigned on any supported Windows 10 machine via command lines starting with version 87: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-configure-kiosk-mode#use-kiosk-mode-features
Let me know if that helps or not. More than happy to assist further.
- Adrian_Guta
ShipUPride thank you for the message.
Recommend checking this documentation, as I believe step 1 will solve the problem: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-configure-kiosk-mode#configure-using-windows-settings
Currently, the assigned access single app kiosk mode configuration is available for testing with the Windows Insiders Preview version 20215 or higher.
We will have the assigned access work ported to down-level Windows version 1909 and higher early 2021: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-configure-kiosk-mode#in-early-2021
I'd like to give my 2 cents.
We have several PC's in KIOSK mode that are no longer working because of both the 20h2 update and the latest Edge update. It gives me a blue screen indicating that the application (New edge) is not supported under Kiosk mode.
I have had to uninstall 20h2 and the newer version of Edge to get these to work again. Unfortunately, the Payroll website that we have these setup for, is telling me that their site will no longer support Legacy Edge starting March 11th, 2021.
So I do hope you come up with a fix so I can run the latest Windows 10 feature, with the latest Edge version in KIOSK mode. Seems silly that this wasn't tested ahead of time.
- Adrian_Guta
mikepickardtubeproc Thank you for the email and feedback.
I have a few questions:
In what Windows configuration are you running kiosk mode? (assigned access or non-assigned access?)
Did you configure the newer version of Edge before moving to Windows 20H2?
Windows 20H2 supports the new Microsoft Edge kiosk mode configuration.
From the details of the problem you shared, I believe you are using assigned access kiosk mode. if that is the case then we will be releasing soon a Windows Update to enable assigned access to configure Microsoft Edge Chromium (Win32 app).
You can test these changes right now with a Windows Insider Preview: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-configure-kiosk-mode#configure-using-windows-settings
Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.
ShipUPride, it seems that we are getting there.
On February 5th there was a dedicated announcement in the message center (Windows message center | Microsoft Docs), with a couple of related posts:
- What you need to know about kiosk mode when support for Microsoft Edge Legacy ends - Microsoft Edge Blog (windows.com),
- Plan your kiosk mode transition | Microsoft Docs).
Expected timeline (according to Microsoft Edge release schedule | Microsoft Docs and Plan your kiosk mode transition | Microsoft Docs)
- February 2021, 3rd week: assigned access support in Windows 1909 and higher available manually checking for updates.
- March 2021, 1st week: most of the Edge Legacy kiosk features available in Edge Chromium (version 89).
- March 2021, 2nd week: assigned access support in Windows 1909 and higher available for everyone (through Patch Tuesday).
- May 2021, 4th week: almost all of the Edge Legacy kiosk features available in Edge Chromium (version 91).
