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Windows 11 Group Policy settings

3,503 settings · 23H2 · 1.0 · 15 Jul 2024

7 settingsCSV
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Windows Components › Internet Explorer › Security Features › AJAX

Turn off the WebSocket Object

Computer and userIntune-readyIESF_DisableWebSocket

Supported on At least Internet Explorer 10.0

23H2 · 1.0

What it does

The WebSocket object allows websites to request data across domains from your browser by using the WebSocket protocol. This policy setting allows administrators to enable or disable the WebSocket object. This policy setting does not prevent client-side communication across domains via other features in Internet Explorer 10. Also, this policy setting does not prevent a site from requesting cross-domain data through a server. If you enable this policy setting, websites cannot request data across domains by using the WebSocket object. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, websites can request data across domains by using the WebSocket object. By default, the WebSocket object is enabled.

What it writes

Hive
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Registry key
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET
Value name
iexplore.exe
When enabled
DWORD 0
When disabled
DWORD 1

In Intune

No native CSP; import the ADMX (Intune-ready).

From Microsoft's Policy CSP DDF files (DDF v2 Files, February 2026), read 18 Oct 2026.

Configure and deploy

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

State
Apply to

Enabled · Computer · template defaults

Registry file (.reg)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET]
"iexplore.exe"=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: Turn off the WebSocket Object
# Name: IESF_DisableWebSocket
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -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_inetres/IESF_DisableWebSocket

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_inetres/IESF_DisableWebSocket</LocURI>
        </Target>
        <Data>&lt;enabled/&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: Turn off the WebSocket Object
# Name: IESF_DisableWebSocket
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 0
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET\iexplore.exe') | Out-Null
}

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 1
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET\iexplore.exe') | 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: Turn off the WebSocket Object
# Name: IESF_DisableWebSocket
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET' -Name 'iexplore.exe' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1

History 3 retained releases

  1. 22H2 · 1.015 Jul 2024
    • Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.

2 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name
IESF_DisableWebSocket
Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer
Template file
inetres.admx
Release
Windows 11 23H2 · 1.0 · file set d784d0ea5f14a680…
Definition, editor controls and support

Definition

<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.IESF_DisableWebSocket)" explainText="$(string.IESF_ExplainDisableWebSocket)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WEBSOCKET" name="IESF_DisableWebSocket" valueName="iexplore.exe" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IESF_CategoryAJAX" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SUPPORTED_IE10" />
      <enabledValue>
        <decimal value="0" />
      </enabledValue>
      <disabledValue>
        <decimal value="1" />
      </disabledValue>
    </policy>

Editor controls

Supported platforms and category

Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:IESF_CategoryAJAX
<category displayName="$(string.IESF_CategoryAJAX)" explainText="$(string.IESF_ExplainAJAX)" name="IESF_CategoryAJAX" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SecurityFeatures" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:InternetExplorer
<category displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer)" explainText="$(string.IE_ExplainCat)" name="InternetExplorer" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:SecurityFeatures
<category displayName="$(string.SecurityFeatures)" explainText="$(string.IESF_ExplainSecurityFeaturesCategory)" name="SecurityFeatures" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:InternetExplorer" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:definition:SUPPORTED_IE10
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_IE10)" name="SUPPORTED_IE10" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <range minVersionIndex="10" ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer" />
        </or>
      </definition>
Microsoft.Policies.Products:product:InternetExplorer
sha256:f287ee590cbba46b7a95511866303967b9370c7c7d81185659d675ca19b05d72
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:IESF_CategoryAJAX
<category displayName="$(string.IESF_CategoryAJAX)" explainText="$(string.IESF_ExplainAJAX)" name="IESF_CategoryAJAX" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SecurityFeatures" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IESF_CategoryAJAX">AJAX</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IESF_ExplainAJAX">Technologies that enable communications between clients and server and/or cross domain communications.</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:InternetExplorer
<category displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer)" explainText="$(string.IE_ExplainCat)" name="InternetExplorer" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IE_ExplainCat">Contains settings to configure Internet Explorer</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:InternetExplorer">Internet Explorer</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:SecurityFeatures
<category displayName="$(string.SecurityFeatures)" explainText="$(string.IESF_ExplainSecurityFeaturesCategory)" name="SecurityFeatures" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:InternetExplorer" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IESF_ExplainSecurityFeaturesCategory">Contains settings to enable or disable security features for Internet Explorer, File Explorer and other applications.</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SecurityFeatures">Security Features</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:definition:SUPPORTED_IE10
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_IE10)" name="SUPPORTED_IE10" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <range minVersionIndex="10" ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer" />
        </or>
      </definition>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SUPPORTED_IE10">At least Internet Explorer 10.0</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Products:product:InternetExplorer
<product displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer)" name="InternetExplorer" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer30)" name="InternetExplorer30" versionIndex="3" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer40)" name="InternetExplorer40" versionIndex="4" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer50)" name="InternetExplorer50" versionIndex="5" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer60)" name="InternetExplorer60" versionIndex="6" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer70)" name="InternetExplorer70" versionIndex="7" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer80)" name="InternetExplorer80" versionIndex="8" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer90)" name="InternetExplorer90" versionIndex="9" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer100)" name="InternetExplorer100" versionIndex="10" />
        <majorVersion displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer110)" name="InternetExplorer110" versionIndex="11" />
      </product>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer">Internet Explorer</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer100">Internet Explorer 10</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer110">Internet Explorer 11</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer30">Internet Explorer 3</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer40">Internet Explorer 4</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer50">Internet Explorer 5</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer60">Internet Explorer 6</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer70">Internet Explorer 7</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer80">Internet Explorer 8</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer90">Internet Explorer 9</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents">Windows Components</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents_Help">Contains settings for operating system components.</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 18 Oct 18:07 UTC · 253 of 255 readable · 252 fully read · documentation 0/410 current

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