How To Enable or Disable InPrivate Browsing in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 InPrivate browsing in Microsoft Edge is commonly used to protect personal data. However, in managed IT environments, administrators may choose to disable it to enforce compliance and monitoring policies. Let's walk through how to configure this setting in Windows 11. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Why You Might Disable InPrivate Browsing InPrivate browsing prevents the local storage of browsing history, cookies, and other session data. While this can be helpful for individual users, it limits visibility for administrators. Organizations often disable it to ensure proper monitoring, protect against data leaks, and maintain endpoint security. How To Disable InPrivate Browsing With Registry Editor The most direct method is through the Windows Registry, which works in all Windows editions, including Home. Start by pressing Win + R, typing regedit, and selecting OK to open the Registry Editor. From there, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Policies\Microsoft\Edge If the Edge key is not present, create a new key and name it Edge. Inside, create or locate a DWORD value called InPrivateModeAvailability. Setting its value to 1 d isables InPrivate browsing, while 0 restores the default behavior. A value of 2 forces Edge to always open in InPrivate mode. Relaunch Microsoft Edge to apply the new setting. Verifying And Enforcing Policy Settings After relaunching Edge, type edge://policy in the address bar to confirm that the change is active. You’ll see the InPrivateModeAvailability policy listed with an “OK” status. You can also check by opening the menu the “New InPrivate Window” option will be greyed out if disabled. Keep in mind that this setting only applies to Microsoft Edge. If you need to restrict other browsers, you’ll want to use AppLocker, App Control for Business, or third-party management tools. For public or kiosk devices, disabling InPrivate browsing ensures consistent compliance across endpoints. For more information, check out our official blog post on enabling or disabling InPrivate browsing in Edge linked in the description below.