Public mode

No tenant, Graph, or device access. Every item links to its source. What this means

Some sources or documents need attention: 253/255 feeds/APIs · 0/410 docs · checked 22:28 UTC Customize Public modeDiscuss ChangeIntel on Discord

Windows 11 Group Policy settings

3,621 settings · 25H2 · 1.0 · 29 Sep 2025

9 settingsCSV
Back to the list

Windows Components › Internet Explorer

Configure Media Explorer Bar

UserIntune-readyMediaSettings

Supported on Only Internet Explorer 6.0

What it does

Allows Administrators to enable and disable the Media Explorer Bar and set the auto-play default. The Media Explorer Bar plays music and video content from the Internet. If you disable the Media explorer bar, users cannot display the Media Explorer Bar. The auto-play feature is also disabled. When users click on a link within Internet Explorer, the content will be played by the default media client on their system. If you enable the Media Explorer Bar or do not configure it, users can show and hide the Media Explorer Bar. Administrators also have the ability to turn the auto-play feature on or off. This setting only applies if the Media Explorer Bar is enabled. If checked, the Media Explorer Bar will automatically display and play the media content when the user clicks on a media link. If unchecked, the content will be played by the default media client on their system.

What it writes

Hive
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Registry key
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel

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.

Options

OptionTypeRegistry valueAllowed values
Disable the Media Explorer Bar and auto-play feature Checkbox Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\RestrictionsNo_LaunchMediaBar On (1) or off (0)
Auto-Play Media files in the Media bar when enabledDefault: checked Checkbox Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\mediaAutoplay On (1) or off (0)

Configure and deploy

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

State
Options used when Enabled

Enabled · User · template defaults

Registry file (.reg)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media]
"Autoplay"="yes"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions]
"No_LaunchMediaBar"=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: Configure Media Explorer Bar
# Name: MediaSettings
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions' -Name 'No_LaunchMediaBar' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media' -Name 'Autoplay' -PropertyType 'String' -Value 'yes'
  • 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: BlockMedia

ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)

./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_inetres/MediaSettings
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: Configure Media Explorer Bar
# Name: MediaSettings
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions' -Name 'No_LaunchMediaBar' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 1
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions\No_LaunchMediaBar') | Out-Null
}

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media' -Name 'Autoplay' -Kind 'String' -Expected 'yes'
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media\Autoplay') | 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: Configure Media Explorer Bar
# Name: MediaSettings
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: inetres.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions' -Name 'No_LaunchMediaBar' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media' -Name 'Autoplay' -PropertyType 'String' -Value 'yes'

History 5 retained releases

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

4 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name
MediaSettings
Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer
Template file
inetres.admx
Release
Windows 11 25H2 · 1.0 · file set de4e49983ebd651f…
Definition, editor controls and support

Definition

<policy class="User" displayName="$(string.MediaSettings)" explainText="$(string.IE_ExplainMediaExpBar)" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel" name="MediaSettings" presentation="$(presentation.MediaSettings)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:InternetExplorer" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY" />
      <elements>
        <boolean id="BlockMedia" key="Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions" valueName="No_LaunchMediaBar" />
        <boolean id="PlayByDefault" key="Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\media" valueName="Autoplay">
          <trueValue>
            <string>yes</string>
          </trueValue>
          <falseValue>
            <string>no</string>
          </falseValue>
        </boolean>
      </elements>
    </policy>

Editor controls

<presentation id="MediaSettings" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <checkBox refId="BlockMedia">Disable the Media Explorer Bar and auto-play feature</checkBox>
        <checkBox defaultChecked="true" refId="PlayByDefault">Auto-Play Media files in the Media bar when enabled</checkBox>
      </presentation>

Supported platforms and 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:definition:SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY)" name="SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer60" />
        </or>
      </definition>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:unresolved:Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer60
<unresolved reference="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer60" />
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:category:InternetExplorer
<category displayName="$(string.InternetExplorer)" explainText="$(string.IE_ExplainCat)" name="InternetExplorer" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:IE_ExplainCat">Contains settings to configure Internet Explorer</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:InternetExplorer">Internet Explorer</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:definition:SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY)" name="SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:InternetExplorer60" />
        </or>
      </definition>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.InternetExplorer:SUPPORTED_IE6ONLY">Only Internet Explorer 6.0</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 22:28 UTC · 253 of 255 readable · 252 fully read · documentation 0/410 current