Microsoft Edge enhanced security is a browser hardening feature aimed at reducing the risk of memory-related vulnerabilities. It disables JavaScript just-in-time (JIT) compilation and enables additional operating-system protections, including Hardware-enforced Stack Protection and Arbitrary Code Guard (ACG). Edge can apply those protections selectively to unfamiliar sites or broadly to every site, depending on whether you choose Balanced or Strict.
It is a risk-reduction layer, not a complete web-safety system. Microsoft does not claim that enhanced security blocks every phishing page, malware download, tracking technique, or unsafe action. SmartScreen, tracking prevention, secure-connection checks, account security and device protection address different parts of the threat landscape.
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What Edge enhanced security actually changes
Enhanced security changes how Edge handles code that runs inside the browser. The feature is designed to make memory-related attacks harder by disabling JavaScript JIT compilation and enabling operating-system defenses for the browser process. Microsoft identifies Hardware-enforced Stack Protection and Arbitrary Code Guard (ACG) as examples of those additional protections. The technical effect is to reduce attack surface, not to certify a site as safe.
JavaScript normally can be compiled at runtime into highly optimized machine code. JIT compilation improves performance, but it also creates a class of memory-management and code-generation behaviors that attackers may try to exploit. With enhanced security, Edge removes that JIT path for protected browsing contexts. Hardware-enforced Stack Protection and ACG add further restrictions at the operating-system level, making certain memory-corruption and code-injection techniques more difficult.
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Edge also adapts protection to browsing patterns. In Balanced mode, sites you visit often may not receive the extra restrictions, while unfamiliar or infrequently visited sites do. This adaptive approach is intended to place stronger controls where risk is less familiar without making every regularly used site handle the strictest configuration.
Microsoft describes the feature and its purpose in Enhance your security on the web with Microsoft Edge. The documentation does not present enhanced security as a guarantee against all browser attacks.
Balanced, Strict and Off: what each mode means
The setting has three choices. The important distinction is how widely the added protections are applied and how much compatibility management you are prepared to do.
| Mode | Where extra protections apply | Compatibility expectation | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Enhanced-security restrictions are not applied. | Sites run without this feature’s additional restrictions. | Use only when you have a specific compatibility reason and understand that you are removing this risk-reduction layer. |
| Balanced | Unfamiliar, unknown or infrequently visited sites receive added protections. Frequently visited sites are generally left out. | Microsoft says most sites should work as expected, while less familiar sites receive stronger defenses. | The practical default for people who want additional protection with limited disruption. |
| Strict | Added protections apply to all visited sites by default. | Some site parts may not work as expected, and normal web tasks can be affected. | Choose it when broad coverage matters more than convenience and you are willing to create exceptions or troubleshoot. |
Neither Balanced nor Strict guarantees that a malicious site will be harmless. Balanced is selective, not weak; Strict is broad, not absolute. The difference is coverage of this particular hardening mechanism, not a promise that one mode catches every category of threat. Microsoft’s mode descriptions and compatibility warning are in the feature support article.
How to enable and configure enhanced security
Edge’s labels can change slightly between releases, so use the setting visible in your current browser. The documented path is:
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and choose Settings.
- Open Privacy, search, and services.
- Scroll to the Security section.
- Turn on Enhance your security on the web.
- Choose Balanced or Strict.
Some installations may show the feature enabled already. Microsoft says the initial state can vary as the feature undergoes ongoing development and testing, so check the switch and selected mode on your own installation instead of assuming a universal default.
Set a permanent site preference
Enhanced security supports site-specific preferences. You can configure a site to always receive enhanced security or to never receive it. This is useful when Strict mode protects most of your browsing but a known application requires a different configuration.
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To review or change those preferences, return to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Security, open the enhanced-security controls and edit the site list shown there. Remove an exception when you want the site to follow the mode’s normal rule again.
Use the address-bar control for the current site
When a site is open, Edge may show an Added security control in the address bar. Use it to switch enhanced security on or off for that site. Microsoft says that turning the feature off from this control automatically adds the site to an exception list, so the choice can persist on later visits. Treat that action as a deliberate compatibility exception, not as proof that the site is safe.
Why a website may stop working
Strict mode changes execution conditions for every site, and Balanced mode can apply those restrictions to unfamiliar sites. Microsoft warns that parts of some websites may not work as expected, particularly under Strict. A failure can appear as a sign-in loop, a control that does nothing, a page that loads without interactive elements or a web application that cannot complete a task. The documentation does not publish a complete compatibility list or a universal diagnosis for each failure.
A practical troubleshooting sequence
- Confirm the scope of the problem. Reload the page and try a second, unrelated site. If only one site fails, a site-specific exception is more appropriate than disabling the feature globally.
- Check the mode. If Strict is selected, temporarily test Balanced. This reduces the number of sites receiving the strict restrictions while retaining enhanced security for unfamiliar or infrequently visited sites.
- Use the site control. On the affected site, open the address-bar Added security control and turn enhanced security off for that site. Edge will add the site to its exception list automatically.
- Retry the exact task. Test the sign-in, editor, payment flow or other function that failed. If it works, keep the narrow exception rather than turning the feature off for every site.
- Revisit the exception later. Browser and site updates can change compatibility. Remove the exception from the security settings when the site no longer needs it.
Do not create a broad exception merely because a page is unfamiliar or asks for extra permissions. An exception removes this hardening layer for that site; it does not validate the site’s identity or content.
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What enhanced security helps protect against
The documented target is risk from memory-related browser vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can involve errors in how software handles memory, allowing malicious web content to attempt code execution or other unauthorized behavior through the browser. Disabling JIT compilation and enabling Hardware-enforced Stack Protection and ACG are intended to make those attack paths harder to exploit.
That protection matters even when you do not download a file. A compromised or malicious page can deliver code through normal browser features, so reducing exploitable browser behavior is useful as one layer of defense. The feature operates inside Edge; it is not a replacement for keeping the browser, operating system and other software updated.
Microsoft’s wording is deliberately limited: enhanced security “helps safeguard against memory-related vulnerabilities.” It does not publish a feature-specific prevention percentage, a count of attacks stopped or a laboratory benchmark that would let you calculate a guaranteed level of protection.
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What it does not protect against
Phishing and deceptive pages
Enhanced security is not a phishing detector. A fraudulent page can use convincing branding, a look-alike domain or a message that pressures you to enter credentials even when the browser’s memory protections are working normally. Check the address, avoid unexpected sign-in links and use independent bookmarks for important accounts.
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Malicious downloads and dangerous files
The feature does not promise to block every malicious download or neutralize a file you choose to open. A site can deliver a harmful installer, document or archive through a channel that is unrelated to a memory exploit. SmartScreen warnings, operating-system protections, reputable security software and cautious handling of downloads remain relevant.
Tracking and invasive advertising
Enhanced security is not Edge’s tracking-control system. Tracking Prevention is a separate setting with its own levels and site exceptions. Microsoft explains those controls in Learn about tracking prevention in Microsoft Edge. Turning on enhanced security does not automatically select a stricter tracking-prevention level or erase tracking identifiers.
Stolen passwords, weak authentication and account takeover
Browser hardening cannot compensate for a reused password, a password entered into a fake site, a compromised email account or a missing second factor. Use unique credentials, enable multi-factor authentication where available and respond to security alerts through the account provider’s official site.
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Enhanced security does not make an untrusted network trustworthy and does not turn an HTTP connection into an encrypted one. Microsoft’s separate secure-browsing guidance covers connection indicators, SmartScreen and other habits in Securely browse the web in Microsoft Edge. You still need to verify the site, read warnings and decide carefully before granting permissions or opening files.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How it fits with Edge’s other security controls
| Control | Primary purpose | What it does not replace |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced security | Reduces exposure to memory-related browser vulnerabilities through JIT restrictions and operating-system protections. | Phishing detection, tracking controls, account security or safe user decisions. |
| Defender SmartScreen | Provides warnings and reputation-based protection for suspected phishing and malware sites, URLs and applications. | Browser hardening against every memory exploit or every malicious decision. |
| Tracking Prevention | Controls the level of cross-site tracking prevention and allows site-specific exceptions. | Memory exploit mitigation or malware reputation checks. |
| Secure-browsing practices | Uses connection indicators, warnings and cautious behavior to reduce common web risks. | A technical guarantee that a site, account or downloaded file is safe. |
These controls are complementary. A sensible configuration can use enhanced security in Balanced or Strict mode, leave SmartScreen protections enabled, select an appropriate Tracking Prevention level and still treat unexpected messages and downloads with caution.
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Choosing Balanced or Strict
Choose Balanced when compatibility is important
- You use interactive web applications, business portals or sites that must work without manual tuning.
- You want stronger restrictions on unfamiliar or infrequently visited sites.
- You prefer to add exceptions only when Edge identifies a real compatibility issue.
Balanced is not an “off” mode for new sites. It concentrates the added protections where Edge has less evidence that a site is familiar to you.
Choose Strict when broad coverage is the priority
- You want enhanced protections applied to every visited site by default.
- You can test affected pages and maintain a small exception list.
- You accept that some normal web tasks may require a site-specific adjustment.
Strict is most practical when you understand that compatibility troubleshooting is part of the trade-off. If a critical site breaks, make the narrowest exception that restores the task rather than abandoning the feature everywhere.
When Off is justified
Turning the feature off globally removes its protections for all sites. Reserve that choice for a confirmed compatibility requirement that cannot be solved with Balanced or a site exception, and reassess after Edge or the affected website updates.
What Microsoft has not quantified
Microsoft’s consumer support pages do not provide a comprehensive list of compatible or incompatible sites, a universal performance penalty, or a measured percentage of attacks prevented specifically by enhanced security. They also do not establish one default mode for every Edge installation. That means you should judge the setting by the mode shown in your browser and by the behavior of the sites you actually use, not by an assumed global default or an invented success rate.
The absence of a published prevention statistic does not mean the feature has no value; it means the available documentation supports a description of its mechanisms and trade-offs, not a numerical guarantee.
A practical security setup
- Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Security and verify whether Enhance your security on the web is enabled.
- Start with Balanced if you need predictable compatibility, or select Strict if broad coverage is more important than convenience.
- Keep SmartScreen-related protections enabled and review warnings instead of dismissing them automatically.
- Configure Tracking Prevention separately; its setting and exceptions do not come from enhanced security.
- Use unique passwords and multi-factor authentication for important accounts.
- When a site fails, test the narrow troubleshooting path: Balanced, then a site-specific exception, before switching the feature off globally.
- Periodically review the exception list and remove entries you no longer need.
Enhanced security is best understood as browser hardening: a useful reduction in one class of attack risk that works alongside, rather than instead of, phishing warnings, tracking controls, secure connections, account protection and careful browsing.
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