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Use the NewTabPageSearchBox policy in the Microsoft Edge management service to decide whether searches from Edge’s New Tab Page stay in its search box or move to the address bar. Choose Search box (Recommended) (bing) to keep the dedicated search experience, or Address bar (redirect) to send searches to the address bar. This policy does not, by itself, configure Google or another search provider; set the default-provider policies separately if that is your goal.
Before you begin
- Access: You need the Microsoft Edge Administrator role and a tenant with access to the Edge management service in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Microsoft says the service is not currently available to GCC customers.
- Browser: The management service requires Edge version 115.0.1901.7 or later. The underlying
NewTabPageSearchBoxpolicy supports Edge 85 or later on Windows and macOS. - Profile: Test with the organizational account and Edge profile targeted by the policy. The policy is applied per profile and does not apply to a profile signed in only with a personal Microsoft account.
- Targeting: Decide whether to assign the policy broadly or to a Microsoft Entra security group. A pilot group is a practical way to confirm the behavior before wider deployment.
- Policy type: Choose a Cloud policy for the Edge management service’s cloud policy model. The wizard also offers an Intune policy type; creating that type requires an Intune license and this workflow currently supports Windows configuration through Intune.
The Edge management service supports Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, but that does not mean every individual Edge policy works on every platform. NewTabPageSearchBox itself is not supported on iOS or Android. See Microsoft’s Edge management service documentation and policy reference for current scope and requirements.
What the policy controls
| Admin center choice | Policy value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Search box (Recommended) | bing |
Searches use the dedicated New Tab Page search box experience. |
| Address bar | redirect |
Searches entered in the New Tab Page box are redirected through the address bar and handled by the configured default search provider. |
The name can be misleading if you expect a complete search-engine switch. NewTabPageSearchBox controls the New Tab Page box’s behavior; it does not specify the provider’s name or search URL. To use a non-Bing provider, configure the default provider separately as described below.
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Create the policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Go to Settings > Microsoft Edge to open the Edge management service.
- Open Configuration policies, then select Create policy.
- On Basics, enter a name, such as
Edge - New Tab Search Box, and optionally add a description. - Select the target platform or platforms, then choose Cloud or Intune as the policy type. Do not treat these as interchangeable: the Intune option has its own licensing and Windows-scope requirements.
- On Settings, select Add setting.
- Search for new tab page search box, then select Configure the new tab page search box experience.
- Choose Search box (Recommended) to use
bing, or Address bar to useredirect. - If you selected
redirectto use a provider other than Bing, also configure the default search-provider policies. - Save the policy, then assign it to all users only if that scope is intended, or select the relevant Microsoft Entra group or groups. Review the assignment before deploying.
Microsoft may adjust portal wording or navigation as the service evolves. The documented workflow is under Configuration policies and uses Create policy, Basics, Settings, and Add setting. The policy’s display name is Configure the new tab page search box experience.
Use a non-Bing default search provider
For Google, DuckDuckGo, an internal search service, or another provider, configure all of the relevant behavior rather than setting only the New Tab Page option:
NewTabPageSearchBox = redirectDefaultSearchProviderEnabled = enabledDefaultSearchProviderSearchURL = <provider search URL containing {searchTerms}>
Use the search URL and placeholder format required by the provider; do not assume an example URL is valid for every provider or enterprise configuration. Microsoft’s Edge policy catalog lists related policies. If the default-provider policy is missing, malformed, or overridden, the redirect may not produce the intended provider.
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Assign and verify the result
After assigning the policy, test on a device with the targeted user signed in to the correct organizational Edge profile. Cloud assignment and browser refresh are not guaranteed to be immediate.
- In the target Edge profile, open
edge://policy. - Select Reload policies.
- Find
NewTabPageSearchBoxand confirm that its value isbingorredirect, as intended. If you are configuring a non-Bing provider, inspect the default-provider policies there too. - Open a new tab and enter a test search. Confirm that it stays in the New Tab Page search experience or redirects through the address bar, and verify which provider handles the query.
Check both policy state and actual behavior. The wrong profile, a conflicting management channel, another policy, or a different New Tab Page experience can affect what you see. Microsoft identifies edge://policy as a place to view browser policies; see its Edge support guidance.
Troubleshooting
The setting is missing from the portal
Confirm that your administrator account has the Microsoft Edge Administrator role and that your tenant can use the Edge management service. In the wizard, search by the display name, Configure the new tab page search box experience, rather than only the internal policy name. Also check whether you selected Cloud or Intune and whether the service or policy catalog is still rolling out changes to your tenant.
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The policy is assigned but does not appear in Edge
Confirm that the browser meets the management service’s minimum version, the user is signed in to the assigned organizational profile, and the user is in the assigned Entra group. Reload policies at edge://policy and make sure you are testing the same profile and device covered by the assignment. If the value remains absent, check connectivity and whether the browser can retrieve organizational cloud policy.
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If NewTabPageSearchBox shows redirect, inspect DefaultSearchProviderEnabled and DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL as well. A missing or invalid provider configuration, a policy defining another provider, or a conflicting GPO or MDM setting can explain the result. Verify the test is in the intended profile and validate behavior in the New Tab Page experience used by your Edge channel.
A local policy conflicts with the cloud policy
A conflicting Group Policy Object (GPO) or MDM policy can override a setting delivered through the Edge management service. Cloud policies assigned through Entra groups are user policies; policies delivered through an enrollment token are device policies. Device policy normally takes precedence when user and device settings conflict, unless the relevant Edge precedence controls are configured. Check all policy sources in edge://policy before changing assignments. Microsoft documents an option to override platform policies, but describes it as a registry-based control rather than a standard portal setting; review the service documentation before using it.
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Users see a choice between the search box and address bar
If the policy is not configured or is disabled, Edge behavior may depend on the address-bar default provider. Microsoft notes that when the default is not Bing, users may be offered an additional choice. Set an explicit mandatory value when the organization needs a consistent enforced experience; use a recommended setting when a user-overridable default is desired and available in the wizard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Windows policy and registry reference
The Microsoft 365 admin center is the main procedure above. In Windows environments managed by GPO or another MDM, the corresponding policy can also be managed through those channels. The Windows policy path is SOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdge; the recommended-policy path is SOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdgeRecommended. The registry value is a string (REG_SZ) named NewTabPageSearchBox.
For comparison or troubleshooting, an elevated Command Prompt can set the machine policy value as follows:
reg add HKLMSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftEdge /v NewTabPageSearchBox /t REG_SZ /d bing /fTo redirect searches instead:
reg add HKLMSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftEdge /v NewTabPageSearchBox /t REG_SZ /d redirect /fThese are alternatives for Windows policy management, not steps required to create a cloud policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Avoid setting conflicting values in multiple management systems unless you have deliberately designed the precedence.
Quick Recap
Platform and New Tab Page caveats
- The underlying setting is documented for Windows and macOS, Edge 85 or later; it is not supported on Android or iOS.
- It does not apply to Edge profiles signed in only with a personal Microsoft account.
- If Bing is already the address-bar default and the policy is not configured, Edge may appear to use the dedicated search box anyway. Explicitly configuring
bingmakes the managed intent clear. - Microsoft continues to evolve New Tab Page experiences, including Copilot-related experiences. Validate the target Edge version, channel, and page experience rather than assuming every current or preview layout behaves identically. See Microsoft’s Copilot New Tab Page management guidance.
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