With the next release of Windows 10, which is already available through the Insider Preview Program on Build 14986 , we received a new way policy “Keep favorites in sync between Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge” to configure the favorites in IE and Edge.
The new GPO is located under:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Edge
“Keep favorites in sync between Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge”
After enabling this policy, favorites in Edge and Internet Explorer stay synchronized. This means, Favorites you add in Internet Explorer do appear automatically in Microsoft Edge too and Favorites you delete in Edge are deleted in Internet Explorer as well.
Another benefit of this policy, is that this setting eases also the maintenance of the favorites. In addition, the workflow also honors redirected favorites, so you can keep your IE-favorites on a network-share, and those are then copied to your Edge browser on the client.
From a technical point of view, Microsoft Edge still uses its own database at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\User\Default\DataStore\Data\nouser1\120712-0049\DBStore\spartan.edb to use and manage its favorites and IE still uses the URL-files in the favorites-folder, which may also be redirected on a network-share. But, with the policy enabled, these favorites just stay in sync through Edge:
- When you add a favorite in Edge, it is added in the favorites-folder of IE too.
- When you add a favorite in Internet Explorer while Edge is not running, the database from Edge is not updated, as this is done when Edge is running.
- When you add a favorite in Internet Explorer while Edge is currently running, the favorite will appear in Edge too.