Managing Microsoft Edge's Mini Menu on Text Selection Feature

In 2021, Microsoft Edge introduced a handy mini menu that pops up each time a user selects or highlights a line of text. It includes quick shortcuts to functions like search, translate, and share.

Although the feature is supposed to increase productivity, it sometimes does more harm than good in environments like intranet sites and web-based applications.

These sites have carefully designed interfaces and workflows where even the smallest disruptions can impact user experience.

An unexpected menu, like the mini menu can distract users and prevent them from doing critical tasks. That said, Microsoft Edge allows administrators to control where the mini menu appears and where it doesn’t.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to control the Microsoft Edge mini menu by managing its “disabled sites” list.

How to enable or disable the Microsoft Edge mini menu on selected sites

If you want to enable or disable the Microsoft Edge mini menu on specific sites, you must include those in the “Disabled sites” list.

📌 Prerequisites:

Your Microsoft Edge should be on version 84 or newer.
Your computer should run on Windows 11 or have the right policies applied.
You have administrator rights to make registry and GPO changes.
Familiarity with Edge’s policy settings, editing the registry, or using simple scripts is recommended.

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Click to Choose a Method	💻 Best for Individual Users	💻💻💻 Best for Enterprises
Method 1: Using Edge Settings	✓
Method 2: Using PowerShell	✓
Method 3: Using Group Policy Preferences	✓

Method 1: Using Edge Settings

📌 Use Case: This method configures the mini menu settings on a per-user basis. It’s ideal for making quick changes on personal devices.

Go to the site where you want to disable the Mini Menu.
Select some text on the page.
In the Mini Menu, click the three dots (ᐧᐧᐧ).
Choose “Hide menu” > “Hide menu for this site” to disable the mini menu for the site or “Hide menu always” to disable it on all sites.

Method 2: Using PowerShell

📌 Use Case: This method uses PowerShell scripting to deploy and manage Edge settings across multiple devices. It’s perfect for enforcing policies on managed environments.

Run the commands below to configure the “Disabled sites” list:

$path = "HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\MiniMenuDisabledSites"

New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null

Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name "SitesList" -Value @("https://intranet.local", "https://app.corporate.com")

Restart Edge after executing the command to enforce the new policy.

Method 3: Using Group Policy Preferences

📌 Use Case: This method can be configured to apply the new setting per user or across all users, depending on the Group Policy setup.

⚠️Important: This method is only for computers joined to a domain and must be performed by a domain administrator.

Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
Navigate to User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry.
Right-click and select New > Registry Item.
Configure:
1. Action: Update
2. Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER (or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for all users).
3. Key Path: Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\MiniMenuDisabledSites
4. Value Name: SitesList
5. Value Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
6. Value Data: Each URL on a new line.
Click OK, link the GPO to the target OU, and run gpupdate /force on clients.
Restart Edge to apply the changes.

Additional notes on modifying Microsoft Edge’s mini menu

Here are some additional notes you should remember when modifying Microsoft Edge’s mini menu:

You need to restart your browser so the policy changes take effect.
The HKLM policy path affects all users, while the HKCU path only affects the current users.
Make sure your URLs are correctly formatted, including protocol and domain.
For the settings to work, your Microsoft Edge version must support policy-based configurations; versions earlier than 84 may not support this capability.

⚠️ Things to look out for

Keep these pitfalls in mind when following our guide.

Risks	Potential consequences	Reversal
Registry misconfigurations	Adding the wrong keys to the Registry can lead to system instability or unintended behavior.	Restore the latest backup of the registry before making any changes.
Incorrect URLs in the SitesList	The mini menu will remain enabled on the specified sites.	Check your URLs in the registry or script before applying them.
Incorrect policy path	The setting may only apply to the current user instead of all users or vice versa.	Check if your script is using the right policy path before execution.
Overriding behavior	Enterprise policies may override manual configurations made in Edge’s settings.	Review your existing Group Policies for any conflicting entries that may override your changes.

Avoid disruptions by learning how to control when and where Edge’s mini menu appears

Controlling when and where Microsoft Edge’s mini menu appears can significantly enhance a user’s browsing experience. Though the menu provides convenient access to useful tools, it doesn’t always work well with specific workflows and interfaces.

The good news is you can configure this setting straight from Edge or use command-line tools like Registry Editor to make precise adjustments to its behavior.

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