Set the Home Page and Startup Page for Browsers using Intune (macOS)

SUMMARY:

Using Intune, you can set the default startup page and/or home page for many browsers. For example, your company may want their "intranet" or SSO page as the first tab users see when they launch a browser.

In this article, we'll review the steps to set the home page and startup page for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge on macOS devices using Intune configuration profiles.

Table of Contents

Google Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

Microsoft Edge

macOS Safari

Google Chrome

NOTE:

See the definitions below from Google for the startup page and homepage:

• "Your startup page is the one that shows when you first launch Chrome on your device."

• "Your homepage is the one you go to when you select Home."

To configure Chrome's home page and startup page, we'll deploy a custom preference (PLIST) file using an Intune configuration profile. We'll go over the basic steps in this article, but if you'd like to learn more about deploying PLIST files using Intune, please see the link below:

Deploying Custom PLIST Files using Intune (macOS)

Step 1: Create the Preference (PLIST) File

Using a code editing program such as Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code, create a blank file and copy/paste the XML key-value attribute pairs below. Make the appropriate adjustments and save the file with the XML file extension.

• HomepageLocation: enter the desired home page URL

• RestoreOnStartup: the integer, 4, sets Chrome's startup action to "open a list of URLs"

  • Click here to learn about the other options.

• RestoreOnStartupURLs: defines the URLs to open if RestoreOnStartup is set to 4

Step 2: Create the Configuration Profile

• Launch the Intune Portal.

• Select Devices in the left-hand menu blade.

• Select macOS > Configuration (expand Manage Devices)

• Select + Create > + New Policy

  • Platform: macOS

  • Profile type: Templates > Preference file

• Select Create.

• Preference Domain Name: com.google.chrome

• Property List File: select the folder icon to search for and upload the PLIST file you created and saved earlier.

• Once done, select Next, choose the device assignment, and create the app deployment.

Mozilla Firefox

To configure Firefox's home page and startup page, we'll deploy a custom preference (PLIST) file using an Intune configuration profile. We'll go over the basic steps in this article, but if you'd like to learn more about deploying PLIST files using Intune, please see the link below:

Deploying Custom PLIST Files using Intune (macOS)

Step 1: Create the Preference (PLIST) File

Using a code editing program such as Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code, create a blank file and copy/paste the XML key-value attribute pairs below. Replace "https://dmtt.blog" with your URL and make any other needed changes; save the file with the XML file extension.

• EnterprisePoliciesEnabled: according to Firefox, this value must be enabled.

• URL: enter the desired, default home page URL; click here to learn how to add multiple URLs

• Startpage: the current value is "homepage," meaning that the startup page will be whatever was set as the default home page under the URL key. Other options are below:

  • none: there is no home page

  • previous-session: the previous session's tab will restore

  • homepage-locked: the user cannot restore their session at startup and always receives the home page

Step 2: Create the Configuration Profile

• Launch the Intune Portal.

• Select Devices in the left-hand menu blade.

• Select macOS > Configuration (expand Manage Devices)

• Select + Create > + New Policy

  • Platform: macOS

  • Profile type: Templates > Preference file

• Select Create.

• Preference Domain Name: org.mozilla.firefox

• Property List File: select the folder icon to search for and upload the PLIST file you created and saved earlier.

• Once done, select Next, choose the device assignment, and create the app deployment.

Microsoft Edge

Because Edge is a native Microsoft application, its configurations are built into Intune. You do not have to deploy a custom preference (PLIST) file, unlike Chrome and Firefox.

NOTE:

See the quote below from Microsoft regarding the differences between the startup page and the home page:

"The homepage is the page that opens when you select the Home button, whereas the startup page is the page that opens when you launch Microsoft Edge."

Step 1: Create the Configuration Profile

• Launch the Intune Portal.

• Select Devices in the left-hand menu blade.

• Select macOS > Configuration (expand Manage Devices)

• Select + Create > + New Policy

  • Platform: macOS

  • Profile type: Settings Catalog

• Select Create.

Step 2: Select the Settings to Configure

• Select + Add settings.

• Type home in the search bar and hit enter.

• Select Microsoft Edge from the list of results.

• Select the checkbox next to Configure the home page URL.

• Clear the search box, type Start, and hit enter.

• Select Microsoft Edge from the list of results.

• Select the checkbox next to Action to take on startup.

• Select the checkbox next to Sites to open when the browser starts.

• Select the X in the top right corner to close out the Settings picker.

Step 3: Configure the Settings

• Sites to open when the browser starts: enter the desired URL(s) for the startup page(s).

• Action to take on startup: Open a list of URLs

• Configure the home page URL: enter the desired URL for the home page.

Step 4: Finalize the Deployment

• Select Next.

• Optionally add scope tags.

• Add the appropriate assignment.

• Review + Create!

macOS Safari

Unfortunately, I have bad news. I tried different methods to configure Safari's home page using Intune, but all were unsuccessful on macOS devices running macOS 13+ with Apple's Silicon chip. If you can figure it out, please let us know how down below in the comments; we'd love to learn!

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