Local GPO on Windows 10 1909 won't activate NewTabPageLocation or IE11 Mode in Out-of-Domain PC's

[ChevITGuy]

We've been running with Edge Beta 79.0.309.56 for some time now in our Domain VMware VDI Windows 7 SP1 X64 Pro sessions using the NewTabPageLocation and IE 11 Mode with the SiteList.xml file via Registry entries.  We also have this running on Windows Server 2008 R2 terminal servers.  We do NOT have Domain GPO's set for any Edge Chromium settings.  Yesterday, I logged in to my Windows 10 1909 Enterprise VDI X64 test system and used Administrator Privilege to install and configure via LOCAL GPO the Microsoft Edge Chromium 79.0.309.71 browser.  On this system as like the others, the NewTabPageLocation and IE 11 Mode LOCAL GPO settings worked great.  I then decided to install Edge Chromium on my Windows 10 Pro 1909 x86 system and applied the LOCAL GPO's to the Out of Domain PC.  NEITHER the IE11 Mode nor the NewTabPageLocation policies worked!  Edge Chromium even declared that the NewTabPageLocation local GPO policy failed with "This policy is blocked. The value is ignored." message in the edge://policy web page.  I also noticed that my other IT Test PC running Windows 10 Pro 1909 X64 with Microsoft Edge Version 44.xxx does not honor that browser's NewTabPageURL setting either.  

We need these Out of Domain test PC's (WORKGROUP) to function with Edge Chromium using Local Computer GPO's like our Domain virtual sessions function.  I have currently REMOVED Edge Chromium from the one test PC and have gone back to Microsoft Edge Version 44.xx there.

ChevITGuy

[#2]

@ChevITGuy this behavior is well documented and it still was the same behavior in EdgeLegacy:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies#newtabpagelocation

This policy is available only on Windows instances that are joined to a Microsoft Active Directory domain or Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise instances that are enrolled for device management.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

@ChevITGuy possible Workaround: let the non-domain-joined Machine "feel" like it is MDM-joined, then the Policies which are only working when AD/MDM-joined are working. I did some research on this and found a working solution some time ago (working with Edge Legacy as well as Edge Chromium).

My verbose Blog-Post about this is written in German, but all you need is the Registry-Export I published here: https://hitco.at/blog/microsoft-edge-startseite/#loesung

I did a rewrite and updated version of my Blog-Post in english, you find it here:
https://hitco.at/blog/apply-edge-policies-for-non-domain-joined-devices/

[#4]

@Gunnar Haslinger 

   Gunnar, this is TRULY EXCELLENT work.  I am going to try this Fake MDM configuration on one of our Test PC's here at my Company and then try to extend this to Microsoft Edge Chromium Stable 79.0.309.71 (or whatever "71" has been replaced with today).  I have used Google Translate to translate the ENTIRE page from German to English including the REG file comment entries section by section.  THANKS SO MUCH!

After testing with Microsoft Edge Version 44.xxx, it will be interesting to see if Edge Chromium 79.0.309.xx uses the SAME "tests" for the Mobile Device Management (MDM) environment.  ProcMon would definitely be a help in determining/verifying that, too.

Regards,

ChevITGuy   (... who also works BMW IT)

[#5]

@ChevITGuy 

"My solution" is tested with EdgeLegacy (Win10 v1709, v1809, v1909) and EdgeChromium v77, v78 (both outdated today), v79 (current stable release) as well as v80 (current beta).

[#6]

@ChevITGuyI decided to rewrite my Blog-Post for EdgeChromium and did it in english, see: https://hitco.at/blog/apply-edge-policies-for-non-domain-joined-devices/

Feedback is highly appreciated.

[#7]

@Gunnar HaslingerChevITGuy here.  EXCELLENT!  I finally got around to testing on Windows 10 Pro x86 Feature 1909 with Microsoft Edge (Legacy) Version 44.18362.449.0 where I have set the New Tab Page URL, Stopped preloading of Microsoft Edge at operating system startup with NO Tab Page Preloading.  I also have IE 11 Enterprise Mode running with a SiteList.xml file so that certain web sites open with IE 11 from Microsoft Edge (Legacy)!  I will be working to install (again) the latest Microsoft Edge Chromium Stable release and work on those Local GPO's or equivalent Registry Entries.  It has been an extremely BUSY week here at the Company, so my apologies for not responding sooner.   Before I retired from IBM, my position was as a Software Tester, so this almost has me writing a Test Plan <Grin>.

ChevITGuy

[#8]

ChevITGuy here!  I FINALLY on 02/27/2020 installed Microsoft Edge "Chromium" Stable Version 80.0.361.62 here AFTER installing the msedge.admx (with en-US .adml) file and the msedgeupdate set of files in the PolicyDefinitions subdirectory.  I purposely configured a number of Domain or Mobile Device Management ONLY settings with gpedit.msc including the New Tab Page URL! I am PLEASED to report that my IT department "out of Domain" PC now has a Microsoft Edge "Chromium" web browser that acts like the web browsers in the Domain-joined PC's.  We need to have "out of Domain" systems to test LGPO/GPO settings, so this is a great workaround from you Gunnar!  BRAVO and THANKS so much!

ChevITGuy   02/27/2020    1616 EST