Remove Desktop Shortcuts upon update

ComputerIntune-readyPol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary

Supported on Microsoft Edge Update 1.3.155.1 and later

155.0.4283.62

What it does

If you set this policy to "Force delete system-level Desktop Shortcuts" (1), any existing system-level Microsoft Edge desktop shortcuts will be deleted when the browser updates or the machine reboots. If you set this policy to "Force delete system-level and user-level Desktop Shortcuts" (2), any existing system-level Microsoft Edge desktop shortcuts will be deleted when the browser updates or the machine reboots and any existing user-level desktop shortcuts will be deleted when the browser updates. This includes user-level desktop shortcuts that users might have made themselves. If you don't configure this policy or disable it (0), nothing will happen to existing Microsoft Edge desktop shortcuts. If you don't configure this policy for a channel, the 'Remove Desktop Shortcuts upon update default' policy configuration determines desktop shortcut removal.

What it writes

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry key: Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Value name: RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}

Options

Option	Type	Registry value	Allowed values
Part_RemoveDesktopShortcutRequiredDefault: Force delete system-level Desktop Shortcuts	Drop-down list	`RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}`	Force delete system-level Desktop Shortcuts`1` Force delete system-level and user-level Desktop Shortcuts`2` Prevent Desktop Shortcut creation on install`0`

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\EdgeUpdate]
"RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}"=dword:00000001

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: Remove Desktop Shortcuts upon update
# Name: Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedgeupdate.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate' -Name 'RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1

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.

ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msedgeupdate/Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary

ADMX SyncML candidate

<SyncML xmlns="SYNCML:SYNCML1.2">
  <SyncBody>
    <Replace>
      <CmdID>1</CmdID>
      <Item>
        <Meta>
          <Format>chr</Format>
          <Type>text/plain</Type>
        </Meta>
        <Target>
          <LocURI>./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msedgeupdate/Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary</LocURI>
        </Target>
        <Data>&lt;enabled/&gt;
&lt;data id="Part_RemoveDesktopShortcut" value="0"/&gt;</Data>
      </Item>
    </Replace>
    <Final/>
  </SyncBody>
</SyncML>

Intune 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: Remove Desktop Shortcuts upon update
# Name: Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedgeupdate.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate' -Name 'RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 1
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}') | 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: Remove Desktop Shortcuts upon update
# Name: Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedgeupdate.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate' -Name 'RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1

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: Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary
Namespace: Microsoft.Policies.Update
Template file: msedgeupdate.admx
Release: Microsoft Edge 155.0.4283.62 · file set 0a733b0040dbbf02…

Definition, editor controls and support

Definition

<policy class="Machine" displayName="$(string.Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcut)" explainText="$(string.Explain_RemoveDesktopShortcut)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate" name="Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcutMicrosoftEdgeCanary" presentation="$(presentation.Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcut)" valueName="RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1" />
      <elements>
        <enum id="Part_RemoveDesktopShortcut" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate" required="true" valueName="RemoveDesktopShortcut{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}">
          <item displayName="$(string.Name_DeleteSystemDesktopShortcuts)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="1" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.Name_DeleteAllDesktopShortcuts)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="2" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.Name_DesktopShortcutDisabled)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="0" />
            </value>
          </item>
        </enum>
      </elements>
    </policy>

Editor controls

<presentation id="Pol_RemoveDesktopShortcut" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <dropdownList defaultItem="0" refId="Part_RemoveDesktopShortcut" />
      </presentation>

Supported platforms and category

Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_Applications
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Applications)" explainText="$(string.Explain_Applications)" name="Cat_Applications" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_EdgeUpdate" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_EdgeUpdate
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_GoogleUpdate)" explainText="$(string.Explain_GoogleUpdate)" name="Cat_EdgeUpdate" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary)" name="Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_Applications" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:definition:Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1
<definition displayName="$(string.Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1)" name="Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_Applications
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Applications)" explainText="$(string.Explain_Applications)" name="Cat_Applications" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_EdgeUpdate" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_Applications">Applications</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Explain_Applications">An updated ADMX/ADML template will be required to support Edge applications released in the future.</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_EdgeUpdate
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_GoogleUpdate)" explainText="$(string.Explain_GoogleUpdate)" name="Cat_EdgeUpdate" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_GoogleUpdate">Microsoft Edge Update</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Explain_GoogleUpdate">Policies to control the installation and updating of Microsoft Edge using Microsoft Edge Update.</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:category:Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary)" name="Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_Applications" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Cat_MicrosoftEdgeCanary">Microsoft Edge Canary</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Update:definition:Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1
<definition displayName="$(string.Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1)" name="Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Update:Sup_EdgeUpdate1_3_155_1">Microsoft Edge Update 1.3.155.1 and later</string></strings>