Enable Copy and Paste in Microsoft Defender Application Guard

This article describes steps to enable or disable copy and paste to and from the Microsoft Defender Application Guard for the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 11.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard works with Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Office app, and browser to help isolate untrusted sites and prevent untrusted Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files from accessing trusted resources.

When installing and enabling the Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge, specific actions such as camera, microphone, and print files are disabled. For example, copying and pasting to and from the Application Guard for Edge Windows is disabled. You must turn on these settings to copy and paste within the Edge Application Guard window.

Below is how to enable or disable copy and paste to and from the Microsoft Defender Application Guard with Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 11.

Turn on or off a copy and paste in Microsoft Edge browser with Defender Application Guard

As described above, when you install and enable Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge, specific actions are disabled. For example, copying and pasting to and from the Edge Application Guard windows is disabled.

Below is how to turn on or off a copy and paste to and from the Application Guard with the Microsoft Edge browser.

First, you must install and enable Microsoft Defender Application Guard for the Microsoft Edge browser. If you haven’t already, read the post below to do so.

How to install and enable Microsoft Defender Application Guarde for Edge browser

After installing, open the Windows Security app.

You can do that by clicking on the Start menu and searching for “Windows Security.” Then, under best match, select the Windows Security app to open.

When the Windows Security app opens, click the App & browser control section.

On the App & browser control settings page of the Windows Security app, under Isolated browsing, click the link “Change Application Guard settings.”

On the next window, under Copy and paste, toggle the button to the On position to enable copy and paste to and from Application Guard for Microsoft Edge.

To disable it, toggle the button back to the Off position.

You must restart your computer for the changes to apply.

Enable or disable copy and paste in Application Guard via the Windows Registry Editor

If you can’t open the Local Group Policy Editor, use the Windows Registry editor instead.

Open the Windows Registry, and navigate to the folder key path as listed below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Hvsi

If you don’t see the Hvsi folder key, right-click on the Microsoft key, then create the subkey (Hvsi) folders.

Right-click on the Hvsi folder key’s right pane and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type a new key named EnableClipboard.

Double-click the new value name (EnableClipboard) and enter the Value data of 1 to enable copy and paste from and to Application Guard for Edge.

A Value data of 0 to disable copy and paste from and to Application Guard for Edge.

Restart your computer for the changes to apply.

Once installed, press the keyboard shortcut to use Microsoft Edge in isolated mode with Application Guard (CTRL + SHIFT + Q).

You can also click on the Edge browser menu (3 vertical dots) and select New Application Guard windows (CTRL + SHIFT + A).

That should do it!

Reference:

Microsoft.com

Conclusion:

• This post explored the steps to enable or disable copy and paste to and from the Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge browser in Windows 11.
• The post outlined the process of turning on or off copy and paste in the Microsoft Edge browser with Defender Application Guard, emphasizing the actions to be taken within the Windows Security app.
• Additionally, it provided an alternative method using the Windows Registry Editor, presenting a detailed walkthrough for users who may encounter difficulties with the Local Group Policy Editor.
• The conclusion encourages feedback for further improvements and error reporting, fostering engagement and collaborative interaction with the audience.