How to Browse with HTTPS-First Mode in Microsoft Edge

What HTTPS-First Mode Actually Does

When a site supports HTTPS, Edge upgrades the connection quietly and you won’t notice. When a site only supports HTTP, Edge doesn’t load it straight away. Depending on your setting, it shows a warning page first, and you decide whether to continue. This matters most on public Wi-Fi, where someone else on the network could read passwords or anything else you type into a web form over HTTP.

If you choose to continue to the site from the warning page, Edge loads the page over HTTP. It then remembers your choice for that site for a period of time, so you are not warned again on every visit. That choice applies only to the site you clicked through, and other HTTP sites still trigger the warning.

In the default configuration, Edge only warns you for public websites. If you want stricter control, you can change this so Edge also flags insecure HTTP connections to private sites, such as internal company pages. Both options are covered below.

A warning doesn’t mean the site is malicious. It means the connection isn’t encrypted. Before you click through, ask whether the page handles anything sensitive, such as a login, payment details or personal data. If it does, think twice. If it’s a static page with nothing to enter, the risk is much lower.

Checking If HTTPS-First Mode Is Enabled

Edge keeps this setting in the Security section of its privacy settings. The steps below check that it’s on. They apply to current Edge on a currently supported Windows 11 version (25H2 or 26H2), and the same options appear on Home and Pro editions.

1. Open Microsoft Edge from the taskbar🖥️ or the Start menu⊞. The browser window opens.
2. Click the three-dot icon labeled Settings and more in the upper-right corner. A dropdown menu opens.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown. Your Edge preferences open in a new tab.
4. Select Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar of the Settings⚙️ page. If the window is narrow and the sidebar is hidden, click the menu icon at the top left of the page to show it. The privacy options now appear on the right.
5. Scroll down to the Security section. This is where Edge keeps its connection security options.
6. Find the toggle named Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS. It controls whether Edge upgrades HTTP links to HTTPS and warns you about sites that can’t be upgraded. If the switch is grey and on the left, click it once. It turns blue and moves to the right, and the change applies immediately with no restart.

That’s it. Automatic HTTPS is now on, and Edge will upgrade HTTP links to HTTPS whenever the site supports it.

To undo the change later, return to the same toggle and switch it off. Leaving it on is the safer choice.

If you can’t find the Security section, keep scrolling. It sits well down the Privacy, search, and services page, below the tracking prevention and clear browsing data sections. On a small screen or a window that isn’t maximized, it can be a long way down. Once you reach it, the encrypted connection controls are all in that one block.

Choosing Your Security Level

With the toggle on, Edge gives you two levels of strictness. They appear as options under the toggle, and the right one depends on how you browse and what you do online. The next two sections cover each level.

Option 1Default Setting (Recommended for Most People)

The default level suits most people. Edge upgrades HTTP pages to HTTPS wherever it can, and it warns you only when a public website lacks proper security. Most modern sites already use HTTPS, so you will rarely see a warning screen. Edge still does the upgrade in the background, so you get the protection without the interruptions.

This gives you a good balance between security and convenience. You are protected on the public internet, and you aren’t constantly clicking past warnings.

The trade-off is that private or internal sites are not flagged. If your company runs older internal sites over plain HTTP, they will keep loading as they always have, with no warning.

Option 2Maximum Security Setting

The maximum security level is stricter. Edge flags unencrypted connections on both public and private websites. That means you will see warnings on older sites, internal company pages and anything else still running on HTTP, and the decision to continue is yours each time. Choose this level only if you handle sensitive data and want the strictest checking available.

The frequency of alerts is the main drawback. Every insecure connection triggers a warning, and it falls on you to proceed or back away. If you work with internal HTTP tools every day, expect to click through a lot of warnings. Once you continue to a site, Edge remembers that choice for the site for a period, which cuts down repeat warnings on pages you visit often.

This stricter level arrived in Microsoft Edge version 115. If you don’t see it, you are probably on an older build, so update Edge first. Those who benefit most are people in security-sensitive jobs, anyone who handles other people’s financial data, and anyone who wants the tightest privacy.

To check your version and update Edge, follow these steps:

1. Click Settings and more (the three-dot icon) in the upper-right corner of Edge, then select Settings.
2. Open Settings › About Microsoft Edge. The page shows your version number and starts checking for updates on its own.
3. Wait while Edge downloads any update it finds. A progress message appears on the page.
4. Select Restart when Edge asks you to. Edge closes and reopens with the new version, and the page then reports that Edge is up to date.

You should now be on a current build of Edge, with version 115 or later, so the stricter level is available. Edge also updates itself in the background, so this check is mainly useful when an option is missing.

How to Change Your Setting

1. Stay in the Security section of Settings. You should already be there from the earlier steps. If not, open Settings and select Privacy, search, and services, then scroll down to Security.
2. Find the two alert options below Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS. A radio button sits next to each. They only appear when the toggle is on, so turn it on first if you don’t see them. Read the short description under each one, because it tells you which level is which.
3. Select the radio button next to the level you want. The default level is already selected, so click the other option to move to the stricter setting. The dot moves to your new choice.
4. Close the Settings⚙️ tab when you’re done. Edge saves the choice automatically, so there is no Save button and no restart.

That’s it. Edge now uses the strictness level you picked and applies it to every new connection you open.

To go back, return to the same place and select the default option again. You can switch between the two levels as often as you like.

In short, the options live in Edge’s security preferences. Open Settings, choose Privacy, search, and services, find the Security section and click the radio button for the level you want. This switches between standard warnings and maximum security.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/secure-your-web-browsing-with-https-first-mode-in-microsoft-edge

Summary

Once the mode is running, Edge shows a padlock-style site information icon in the address bar on sites that use an encrypted connection. Select that icon on any page to see whether Edge loaded it securely.

If the warnings become too frequent, return to the Security section and select the default level again. Check the toggle there after a major Edge update, and also if someone else manages your PC, since a policy can change it.