How to Show or Hide the Mini Menu on Text Selection for Chosen Sites in Microsoft Edge

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 turn on or off the Microsoft Edge mini menu on selected sites

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

📌 Prerequisites:

• The browser must be on Microsoft Edge version 104 or later for general toggles, though policy-based configurations for specific sites require at least version 84.
• Your computer should run on Windows 11 or have the right policies applied.
• Administrator privileges are required for any method involving the Registry Editor (HKLM hive), PowerShell, or Group Policy.
• Familiarity with Edge’s policy settings, editing the registry, or using simple scripts is recommended.
• While Edge settings take effect immediately, registry and policy changes require a browser restart to apply.

📌 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 4: Using Registry Editor	✓
Method 5: Using .REG files	✓

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.

1. Go to the site where you want to disable the Mini Menu.
2. Select any text on the page.
3. Once the mini menu appears, hover towards “Hide menu” located at the top of the menuand select:
   • “Hide menu for this site” to disable the mini menu for the site
4. “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.

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
2. Navigate to User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry.
3. Right-click and select New > Registry Item.
4. 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.
5. Click OK, link the GPO to the target OU, and run gpupdate /force on clients.
6. Restart Edge to apply the changes.

Method 4: Using Registry Editor

📌 Use Case: This method is ideal when you want to show or hide the Edge mini menu without relying on Local Group Policy Editor or Active Directory infrastructure.

⚠️Important: Modifying registry keys may lead to unwanted changes to your system. Prepare a backup before using the Registry Editor.

1. To open the Registry Editor, press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (or HKEY_CURRENT_USER)\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
3. Find the DWORD (32-bit) Value named QuickSearchShowMiniMenu.
   1. If this key does not exist yet, right-click on an empty space on the right-hand pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and name the new value QuickSearchShowMiniMenu.
4. Modify the value to 0 to disable the mini menu or 1 to enable the mini menu

Method 5: Using .REG files

📌 Use Case: This method is a safer and automated alternative to modifying keys directly from the Registry Editor.

1. Open Notepad, and copy-paste one of the following:
   1. To disable mini-menu:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]

"QuickSearchShowMiniMenu"=dword:00000000

1. 2. To enable mini-menu:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]

"QuickSearchShowMiniMenu"=dword:00000001

2. Save the .reg file, and double-click on it to merge it. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK.
3. Restart Microsoft Edge to apply 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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• How to Add or Remove the Sign Out Option from the Start Menu in Windows 10/11
• How to Turn Off Microsoft Edge Push Notifications