How to Change Default Behavior for Copy and Paste of Address Bar URLs in Microsoft Edge Chromium
Microsoft has adopted the Chromium open source project in the development of Microsoft Edge on the desktop to create better web compatibility. This new Microsoft Edge runs on the same Chromium web engine as the Google Chrome browser, offering you best in class web compatibility and performance.
The new Chromium based Microsoft Edge is supported on all versions of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server (2016 and above), Windows Server (2008 R2 to 2012 R2), and macOS.
Microsoft Edge is previewing an improved way to copy and paste paste web URLs from the address bar into your content. This feature copies and pastes a URL as a hyperlinked title instead of as a web address.
Using the improved copy and paste for address bar URLs is simple. The default behavior is for the link to paste as a hyperlinked title:
- In Microsoft Edge, copy the URL you want from the address bar by either right-clicking it and selecting Copy from the context menu or by selecting the address and pressing Ctrl + C.
- In an app, press Ctrl + V to use the default paste, which adds a link with the title of the page as the link text.
If you're pasting into an app in Microsoft Edge, you can also right-click, select Paste as on the context menu, and then select Link (Default) from the sub-menu.
Alternately, you can paste the URL as a web address instead of a hyperlinked title:
- In Microsoft Edge, copy the URL you want from the address bar by either right-clicking it and selecting Copy from the context menu or by selecting the address and pressing Ctrl + C.
- In an app, press Ctrl + Shift + V to paste the web address.
If you're pasting into an app in Microsoft Edge, you can also right-click, select Paste as on the context menu, and then select Plain text from the sub-menu.
Some apps may override the enhanced copy and paste feature and allow pasting only the web address or will paste using their own formatting.
When you paste into an app outside Microsoft Edge Canary, such as Word for desktop, Ctrl + V pastes in whatever format is chosen in the app settings. When you right-click, the app may bring up its own context menu, not the one for enhanced copy and paste.
Rather than have the default paste result in a hyperlinked title, you can change the default so that Ctrl+ V pastes a web address instead and offers a linked title as the alternative in the context sub-menu.
See also: Improved copy and paste of URLs in Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Edge Support
This tutorial will show you how to change the default behavior for copy and paste of URLs from address bar in the Chromium based Microsoft Edge.
The Share, copy, and paste setting is currently only available in the Beta and Canary channel of Microsoft Edge, so not everyone will have this feature yet.
Contents
- Option One: Change Default Behavior for Copy and Paste of Address Bar URLs in Microsoft Edge in Microsoft Edge Settings
- Option Two: Specify Default Behavior for Copy and Paste of Address Bar URLs in Microsoft Edge for All Users using a REG file
1 Open Microsoft Edge.
2 Click/tap on the Settings and more (Alt+F) button (3 dots), and click/tap on Settings. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Share, copy, and paste on the left side, and click/tap on Link (default) or Plain text for what you want on the right side under URL copy & paste format default.
If you do not see a left pane, then either click/tap on the 3 bars menu button towards the top left OR widen the horizontal borders of the Microsoft Edge window until you do.
4 In the Microsoft Edge Beta, Dev, and Canary versions, you can also turn on or off (default) Use the format selected above by default when copying links within web pages for what you want. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close the Settings tab if you like.
You must be sign in as an administrator to do this option.
This option uses the ConfigureFriendlyURLFormat policy to configure what format will be pasted when the user pastes in external applications, or inside Microsoft Edge without the 'Paste as' context menu item.
The downloadable .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
ConfigureFriendlyURLFormat DWORD
(delete) = Default
1 = Plain text
3 = Link
1 Do step 2 (plain text), step 3 (link), or step 4 (default) below for what you would like to do.
This step will force the URL copy & paste format default setting in Option One to always be Link without users being able to change this setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Force_link_as_URL_copy_and_paste_format_default_in_Microsoft_Edge.reg
Download
This step will force the URL copy & paste format default setting in Option One to always be Plain text without users being able to change this setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Force_plain_text_as_URL_copy_and_paste_format_default_in_Microsoft_Edge.reg
Download
This is the default setting.
This step will allow users to use Option One to select Link or Plain text for the URL copy & paste format default setting in Microsoft Edge.A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Default_user-choice_URL_copy_and_paste_format_default_in_Microsoft_Edge.reg
Download
5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
8 If Microsoft Edge is currently open, then close and reopen Microsoft Edge to apply.
9 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn