To require users to sign in to a Microsoft Edge profile before they can use the browser on Windows 11, set the Browser sign-in settings policy to Force users to sign-in to use the browser (all profiles). The policy is BrowserSignin, and its integer value for Force is 2. Microsoft documents this policy for Edge on Windows from version 77 onward.
Set the policy with Group Policy
Group Policy is the usual route for domain-joined or managed Windows 11 devices. The steps below use the Group Policy editor your organization manages for the target scope; the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) follows the same path on a single machine.
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- Open the Group Policy editor and go to Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge.
- Open the policy named Browser sign-in settings.
- Set the policy to Enabled, then choose Force users to sign-in to use the browser (all profiles) from the options list.
- Apply the change and confirm the policy has reached the devices through your normal Group Policy update process.
- Restart Microsoft Edge on each device. The policy does not refresh while the browser is still running.
Microsoft’s BrowserSignin policy documentation describes the effect in plain terms: when the policy is set to Force, users must sign in to a profile to use the browser.
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Set the policy directly in the registry
The same setting can be written to the registry. Use this method when Group Policy is not available for the device, or when your deployment tooling writes policy keys directly. The mandatory policy lives under the Edge policy key:
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Registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdge
Value name: BrowserSignin
Value type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0x00000002 (decimal 2 = Force)Restart Edge after writing the value. Microsoft’s documentation specifies the policy path, value and refresh requirement; it does not provide a Windows 11-specific validation walkthrough, so confirm the result through your organization’s standard policy reporting before rolling it out widely.
What users will experience
- Users cannot use Edge until they sign in to a profile.
- Forcing sign-in does not turn on sync by itself. Users can choose whether to sync unless an administrator disables sync, for example with the
SyncDisabledpolicy. Microsoft’s documentation puts it this way: “To control the availability of sync, use the SyncDisabled policy instead.” - When
BrowserSigninis set to Force, the default value ofBrowserGuestModeEnabledbecomes false, so guest browsing is not offered by default. - The policy applies to all profiles on the device; it is not configured per profile.
Related policies that do different jobs
Several neighboring Edge policies affect sign-in, but none of them replaces Force. Keep them separate when you troubleshoot or document the configuration.
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| Policy | What it controls | Relationship to Force |
|---|---|---|
BrowserSignin |
Whether Edge sign-in is disabled, available, or required to use the browser. | This is the policy that sets the requirement. |
NonRemovableProfileEnabled |
Whether a user can remove an automatically signed-in work or school profile. | Governs profile removal. Microsoft directs administrators to BrowserSignin for browser sign-in behavior. |
ImplicitSignInEnabled |
Whether Edge tries to sign the profile in based on how the user signed in to Windows. | Controls automatic sign-in only. Microsoft states it has no effect when BrowserSignin is set to Disable. |
WebToBrowserSignInEnabled |
Whether signing in to a Microsoft website can prompt or seamlessly sign the user into Edge. | Governs the web-to-browser handoff, not the browser-use requirement. |
SeamlessWebToBrowserSignInEnabled |
Whether users can toggle seamless web-to-browser sign-in. | Takes effect only when WebToBrowserSignInEnabled is enabled. |
Required Edge profile sign-in is distinct from Windows sign-in, website sign-in and sync. Each of these policies governs a different action, so a setting in one area does not change the others.
Choosing a deployment path
The choice between Group Policy and direct registry configuration depends on how your organization manages devices and how much control it needs over scope and precedence. Both methods are documented for this policy. Before deciding, settle three questions:
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- Management mechanism: Is Group Policy available for the devices in scope, or do you deploy policy through another tool?
- Scope and precedence: Which other policies already set Edge sign-in or sync, and which layer should win?
- Authentication and sync: Will users sign in with work or school accounts, and do you want sync available, restricted or disabled?
Limits of the current guidance
Microsoft’s BrowserSignin documentation confirms the Windows support threshold of Edge version 77, but it does not name a current Edge release, and the policy behavior described above can change between Edge releases. Check the live BrowserSignin page on Microsoft Learn before you publish a deployment plan, and test the setting on a pilot group that matches your Windows 11 builds and sign-in methods.
Keep the expected results in view during testing: users are blocked from using Edge until they sign in, sync is a separate control, and the Windows sign-in and website sign-in policies behave independently.
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