How to Browse with HTTPS-First Mode in Microsoft Edge

Your browser handles sensitive data every day. Things like passwords, payment information, and personal messages. The difference between sending that data over an encrypted connection versus an unencrypted one could mean the difference between staying safe online and becoming a target for hackers. Microsoft Edge’s HTTPS-First Mode is designed to protect you automatically. Here’s how to make sure it’s working the way you need it to.

What HTTPS-First Mode Actually Does

HTTPS-First Mode is Microsoft Edge’s way of protecting you without requiring you to think about it. The feature automatically attempts to upgrade your connection to HTTPS whenever you visit a website. If the site supports HTTPS but you’ve typed “http://” in the address bar, Edge will try to convert that to an HTTPS connection behind the scenes.

By default, Edge only shows these warnings for public websites. If you manually type in an HTTP address or you’re visiting a private or internal company site using HTTP, you won’t see a warning. However, you can change this behavior to be even more cautious if you want.

Important: Some websites—particularly older sites or internal company networks—might not support HTTPS. If you rely on those sites, you’ll want to be aware that warnings might appear. You should consider whether that site needs your sensitive information.

Checking If HTTPS-First Mode Is Enabled

Why check? To confirm your browser is protecting you automatically.

What happens when enabled? Edge automatically upgrades insecure connections and warns you about unsafe sites.

Good news: HTTPS-First Mode comes turned on by default in Microsoft Edge. But it’s worth verifying that your settings are configured the way you want them.

1. Open Microsoft Edge. Launch the browser from your taskbar or Start menu.
2. Click the menu button in the upper-right corner. This is the three-dot icon (labeled “Settings and more”) at the top right of your browser window.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu. This opens your Edge preferences in a new tab.
4. Navigate to Privacy, search, and services. Look for this option in the left sidebar of the Settings page.
5. Scroll down to the Security section. This is where all your connection security options live.
6. Look for “Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS.” This toggle controls whether Edge warns you about unsafe sites. It should be turned on (the switch should be blue and to the right).

Tip: If you can’t find these options, make sure you’ve scrolled all the way down to the Security section. Sometimes it’s easy to miss if your monitor resolution is different.

Choosing Your Security Level

Once you’ve confirmed that alerts are enabled, you can decide how aggressive you want HTTPS-First Mode to be. Microsoft Edge gives you two options. Which one you choose depends on your specific situation.

Option 1: Default Setting (Recommended for Most People)

This option alerts you about insecure connections on public websites only. When you select this—which is already the default—Edge will warn you if you try to visit a public HTTP website. However, if you manually type “http://” in the address bar or you’re visiting a private internal network site, you won’t see warnings.

This strikes a balance between security and practicality. Most public websites now support HTTPS. So you’ll rarely see warnings with this setting. It also prevents unnecessary alerts when you’re accessing legitimate private networks or services that haven’t been upgraded to HTTPS yet.

When to use this: Choose this if you browse the public internet regularly and occasionally need to access internal company sites or older services that use HTTP.

Option 2: Maximum Security Setting

This option elevates your protection by showing warnings for insecure connections on both public and private sites. If you’re working with internal company networks or services that run on HTTP, you’ll get warnings for those too. This includes manually entered HTTP URLs.

The trade-off is that you’ll see more warnings overall. Every insecure connection gets flagged. This means you’ll need to make conscious decisions about whether to proceed or not.

When to use this: Choose this if you work in a security-sensitive field, regularly handle sensitive personal or financial data, or if you want the absolute maximum protection regardless of convenience.

How to Change Your Setting

1. Stay in the Security section of Settings. You should already be here from the previous steps.
2. Find the two alert options below “Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS.” You’ll see radio buttons next to each option.
3. Select the radio button next to your preferred security level. The default option is selected by default. But you can click to switch to the more aggressive setting if you prefer.
4. Close the Settings tab when you’re done. Your preference saves automatically.

Warning: If you turn off “Get alerts about insecure connections” entirely, both of these options will become grayed out (unavailable). You’d be disabling HTTPS-First Mode protection. We don’t recommend this unless you have a very specific reason.

Reference:

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

Summary

HTTPS-First Mode is one of those features that works best when you set it and forget it. Microsoft Edge already has it enabled by default. This means you’re getting protection right now whether you realized it or not. The fact that it runs automatically is exactly the point—security works best when it doesn’t require you to remember anything.

Take five minutes to verify your settings match what you want. For most people, the default configuration is perfect. For those who work with sensitive data or want maximum protection, that aggressive option is available. Either way, you’re taking a meaningful step toward safer browsing. Your data deserves that padlock icon.