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Microsoft Edge Group Policy settings

914 settings · 157.0.4341.57 · 13 Nov 2026

75 settingsCSV
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Microsoft Edge › Sleeping tabs settings

Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs

Computer and userIntune-readySleepingTabsTimeout

Supported on Microsoft Edge version 88, Windows 7 or later

Shown as of 157.0.4341.57, 13 Nov 2026. See it in the latest templates.

What it does

This policy setting lets you configure the timeout, in seconds, after which inactive background tabs are automatically put to sleep if sleeping tabs is enabled. By default, this timeout is 900 seconds (15 minutes). When energy saver is active, Microsoft Edge uses the shorter of this timeout and the energy saver timeout. The energy saver timeout is 5 minutes in maximum savings mode. In other active modes, it's 30 minutes, or 15 minutes on devices with less than 6 GB of memory. Tabs are only put to sleep automatically when the policy 'SleepingTabsEnabled' (Configure sleeping tabs) is enabled or isn't configured, and the user has enabled the sleeping tabs setting. If you don't configure this policy, users can choose the timeout value. Policy options mapping: * 30Seconds (30) = 30 seconds of inactivity * 5Minutes (300) = 5 minutes of inactivity * 15Minutes (900) = 15 minutes of inactivity * 30Minutes (1800) = 30 minutes of inactivity * 1Hour (3600) = 1 hour of inactivity * 2Hours (7200) = 2 hours of inactivity * 3Hours (10800) = 3 hours of inactivity * 6Hours (21600) = 6 hours of inactivity * 12Hours (43200) = 12 hours of inactivity 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

OptionTypeRegistry valueAllowed values
Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs Drop-down list (enum) SleepingTabsTimeout
  • 30 seconds of inactivity30
  • 5 minutes of inactivity300
  • 15 minutes of inactivity900
  • 30 minutes of inactivity1800
  • 1 hour of inactivity3600
  • 2 hours of inactivity7200
  • 3 hours of inactivity10800
  • 6 hours of inactivity21600
  • 12 hours of inactivity43200

Configure and deploy

Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.

State
Apply to
Options used when Enabled

Enabled · Computer · template defaults

Registry file (.reg)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]
"SleepingTabsTimeout"=dword:0000001E


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: Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs
# Name: SleepingTabsTimeout
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'SleepingTabsTimeout' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 30
  • 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: SleepingTabsTimeout

ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msedge/SleepingTabsTimeout
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' {
            $actualBits = if ($actual -is [uint64]) { $actual } else { [BitConverter]::ToUInt64([BitConverter]::GetBytes([int64]$actual), 0) }
            $expectedBits = if ($Expected -is [uint64]) { $Expected } else { [BitConverter]::ToUInt64([BitConverter]::GetBytes([int64]$Expected), 0) }
            return $actualBits -eq $expectedBits
        }
        '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: Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs
# Name: SleepingTabsTimeout
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'SleepingTabsTimeout' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 30
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\SleepingTabsTimeout') | 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: Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs
# Name: SleepingTabsTimeout
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: msedge.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge' -Name 'SleepingTabsTimeout' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 30

History 48 retained releases

  1. 156.0.4314.4222 Oct 2026
    Registry key: Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge · Value name: Not specified
    • Description … to sleep if sleeping tabs is enabled. By default, this timeout is [removed: 7,200][added: 900] seconds [removed: (2 hours).][added: (15 minutes). When energy saver is active, Microsoft Edge uses the shorter of this timeout and the energy saver timeout. The energy saver timeout is 5 minutes in maximum savings mode. In other active modes, it's 30 minutes, or 15 minutes on devices with less than 6 GB of memory.] Tabs are only put to sleep automatically when the policy 'SleepingTabsEnabled' (Configure …
      Whole description, marked

      This policy setting lets you configure the timeout, in seconds, after which inactive background tabs are automatically put to sleep if sleeping tabs is enabled. By default, this timeout is [removed: 7,200][added: 900] seconds [removed: (2 hours).][added: (15 minutes). When energy saver is active, Microsoft Edge uses the shorter of this timeout and the energy saver timeout. The energy saver timeout is 5 minutes in maximum savings mode. In other active modes, it's 30 minutes, or 15 minutes on devices with less than 6 GB of memory.] Tabs are only put to sleep automatically when the policy 'SleepingTabsEnabled' (Configure sleeping tabs) is enabled or isn't configured, and the user has enabled the sleeping tabs setting. If you don't configure this policy, users can choose the timeout value. Policy options mapping: * 30Seconds (30) = 30 seconds of inactivity * 5Minutes (300) = 5 minutes of inactivity * 15Minutes (900) = 15 minutes of inactivity * 30Minutes (1800) = 30 minutes of inactivity * 1Hour (3600) = 1 hour of inactivity * 2Hours (7200) = 2 hours of inactivity * 3Hours (10800) = 3 hours of inactivity * 6Hours (21600) = 6 hours of inactivity * 12Hours (43200) = 12 hours of inactivity Use the preceding information when configuring this policy.

  2. 150.0.4078.8016 Jul 2026
    • Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.

46 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name
SleepingTabsTimeout
Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.Edge
Template file
msedge.admx
Release
Microsoft Edge 157.0.4341.57 · file set aef15aa0bbb05530…
Definition, editor controls and support

Definition

<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout)" explainText="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" name="SleepingTabsTimeout" presentation="$(presentation.SleepingTabsTimeout)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SleepingTabs" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88" />
      <elements>
        <enum id="SleepingTabsTimeout" valueName="SleepingTabsTimeout">
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_30Seconds)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="30" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_5Minutes)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="300" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_15Minutes)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="900" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_30Minutes)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="1800" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_1Hour)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="3600" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_2Hours)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="7200" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_3Hours)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="10800" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_6Hours)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="21600" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.SleepingTabsTimeout_12Hours)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="43200" />
            </value>
          </item>
        </enum>
      </elements>
    </policy>

Editor controls

<presentation id="SleepingTabsTimeout" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><dropdownList refId="SleepingTabsTimeout">Set the background tab inactivity timeout for sleeping tabs</dropdownList></presentation>

Supported platforms and category

Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:SleepingTabs
<category displayName="$(string.SleepingTabs_group)" name="SleepingTabs" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge)" name="microsoft_edge" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:SleepingTabs
<category displayName="$(string.SleepingTabs_group)" name="SleepingTabs" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SleepingTabs_group">Sleeping tabs settings</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:category:microsoft_edge
<category displayName="$(string.microsoft_edge)" name="microsoft_edge" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:microsoft_edge">Microsoft Edge</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Edge:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Edge:SUPPORTED_WIN7_V88">Microsoft Edge version 88, Windows 7 or later</string></strings>
ChangeIntel

An IT change radar: releases, security, known issues, retirements, documentation changes, and service status from public sources. Every item links to supporting evidence; dates and statuses can change after they are read.

Sources read 15 Nov 20:10 UTC · 254 of 275 readable · 250 fully read · documentation 468/469 current