How to Turn On or Off the Local Network Access Feature in Microsoft Edge

Step 1Turning On the Local Network Access Feature

Turning on the Microsoft Edge local network access feature lets you control how websites can see and talk to devices on your home network.

1. Open Microsoft Edge. Find the blue and green ‘e’ icon and click it.

2. Go to the special settings page. In the address bar at the top, type this and press Enter: edge://flags/#local-network-access-check. This takes you to a hidden settings area.

The Local Network Access feature setting appears in Microsoft Edge. Users find the "Local Network Access Checks" option, with a dropdown menu for adjustments. This setting controls how Microsoft Edge connects to devices on the local network.

4. Choose your setting. You have a few choices:

• Enabled (Blocking): This is the safest. If a website tries to access your network, Edge will stop it immediately. It won’t even ask you.
• Enabled: This option will show you a warning message when a website tries to access your network. You can then choose to allow or deny it. This is good if you use apps that need to connect to your home network.
• Disabled: This turns the feature off. We don’t recommend this because it’s not safe.

For most people, choosing “Enabled” is a good mix of safety and usefulness. It lets you approve specific requests. If you are very worried about security and don’t think you’ll need this, “Enabled (Blocking)” is a strong choice.

Step 2Managing Permissions for Specific Websites

After you turn on the local network access feature in Microsoft Edge, you can decide which websites get permission to access your local network right from the browser’s settings.

1. Open Microsoft Edge again.
2. ⚙️ Go to Settings. Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the menu that appears, select “Settings”.

3. Find “Privacy, search, and services”. On the left side of ⚙️ the Settings page, click “Privacy, search, and services”.

4. Go to Site permissions. Scroll down the “Privacy, search, and services” page until you see the “Permissions” section. Click on “Site permissions”.

5. Find “Local network access”. In the list of site permissions, scroll down until you see “Local network access”. Click on it.

6. Set the main switch. At the top of the “Local network access” page, you’ll see a switch labeled “Ask before accessing (recommended)”. Make sure this switch is ON. This means Edge will ask you before letting any website access your local network.

7. Control permissions for single sites. Below the main switch, you’ll see a list of websites. Some might be allowed, and some might be blocked from accessing your local network. You can add specific sites to an “Allow” list or a “Block” list here.

• To allow a specific site: Click the “Add” button next to “Allowed”. Then type the website’s address (like https://my-smart-home-app.com).
• To block a specific site: Click the “Add” button next to “Blocked”. Then type the website’s address.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/control-a-website-s-access-to-the-local-network-in-microsoft-edge

Summary

Managing Microsoft Edge local network access is key to keeping your home network secure by letting you control which websites can connect to your devices.