Microsoft Edge
Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles
Supported on Microsoft Edge version 81, Windows 7 or later
What it does
Configures this policy to allow/disallow ambient authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles in Microsoft Edge. Ambient Authentication is http authentication with default credentials when explicit credentials aren't provided via New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM)/Kerberos/Negotiate challenge/response schemes. If you set the policy to 'RegularOnly', it allows ambient authentication for Regular sessions only. InPrivate and Guest sessions aren't allowed to ambiently authenticate. If you set the policy to 'InPrivateAndRegular', it allows ambient authentication for InPrivate and Regular sessions. Guest sessions aren't allowed to ambiently authenticate. If you set the policy to 'GuestAndRegular', it allows ambient authentication for Guest and Regular sessions. InPrivate sessions aren't allowed to ambiently authenticate If you set the policy to 'All', it allows ambient authentication for all sessions. Ambient authentication is always allowed on regular profiles. In Microsoft Edge version 81 and later, if you don't configure this policy, ambient authentication is enabled in regular sessions only. Policy options mapping: * RegularOnly (0) = Enable ambient authentication in regular sessions only * InPrivateAndRegular (1) = Enable ambient authentication in InPrivate and regular sessions * GuestAndRegular (2) = Enable ambient authentication in guest and regular sessions * All (3) = Enable ambient authentication in regular, InPrivate, and guest sessions Use the preceding information when configuring this policy.
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles | Drop-down list | AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled |
|
Configure and deploy
Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.
Enabled · Computer · template defaults
Registry file (.reg)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]
"AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled"=dword:00000000
PowerShell
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles
# Name: AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0
- The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
- Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.
- The generated payload is incomplete because one or more ADMX element values were not supplied: AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msedge/AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabledIntune remediation scripts
Detection
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
function Test-RegistryValueExists {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}
function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
$valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
return $false
}
$actual = $valueObject.$Name
switch ($Kind) {
'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
'MultiString' {
$actualArray = @($actual)
$expectedArray = @($Expected)
if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
'Binary' {
$actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
$expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
}
}
# Policy: Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles
# Name: AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 0
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled') | Out-Null
}
if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1
Remediation
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles
# Name: AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0
History 37 retained releases
- 150.0.4078.8016 Jul 2026
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
36 later releases left it unchanged.
Template
- Internal name
AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled- Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.Edge- Template file
msedge.admx- Release
- Microsoft Edge 155.0.4283.62 · file set
0a733b0040dbbf02…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled)" explainText="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" name="AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled" presentation="$(presentation.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge" />
<supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81" />
<elements>
<enum id="AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled" valueName="AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled">
<item displayName="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled_RegularOnly)">
<value>
<decimal value="0" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled_InPrivateAndRegular)">
<value>
<decimal value="1" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled_GuestAndRegular)">
<value>
<decimal value="2" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled_All)">
<value>
<decimal value="3" />
</value>
</item>
</enum>
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><dropdownList refId="AmbientAuthenticationInPrivateModesEnabled">Enable Ambient Authentication for InPrivate and Guest profiles</dropdownList></presentation>Supported platforms and category
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge)" name="microsoft_edge" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge)" name="microsoft_edge" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge">Microsoft Edge</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V81">Microsoft Edge version 81, Windows 7 or later</string></strings>