How to Enable Advanced Graphics Application Guard in Microsoft Edge on Windows
Hey readers, welcome to our comprehensive guide on enabling Advanced Graphics Application Guard in Microsoft Edge on Windows. In this article, we’ll dive deep into this feature, explaining its purpose, benefits, and step-by-step instructions on how to activate it. Let’s get started!
What is Advanced Graphics Application Guard?
Advanced Graphics Application Guard (AGAG) is a security feature in Microsoft Edge that provides enhanced protection against sophisticated online threats. When enabled, AGAG isolates untrusted websites in a virtualized container, preventing them from accessing the host system’s resources and compromising data. This isolation ensures that even if an attacker compromises the browser, they cannot gain access to the rest of the computer.
Benefits of Using Advanced Graphics Application Guard
Enabling AGAG offers several key benefits:
- Enhanced security: AGAG provides an additional layer of protection against malicious websites, zero-day attacks, and other online threats by isolating them in a separate container.
- Improved performance: By running untrusted content in a virtualized environment, AGAG reduces the impact on the host system’s performance, resulting in a smoother browsing experience.
- Protection against data loss: In the event that an AGAG-isolated website is compromised, the damage is limited to the virtualized container, preventing the attacker from accessing sensitive data on the host system.
How to Enable Advanced Graphics Application Guard
1. Check Compatibility
Before enabling AGAG, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:
- Windows 10 version 20H2 or later
- Microsoft Edge version 91 or later
2. Enable AGAG in Edge Settings
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Click on the three dots in the top-right corner and select "Settings."
- Navigate to "Privacy, search, and services" on the left sidebar.
- Under "Security," toggle on "Advanced Graphics application guard."
3. Restart Edge
- Once enabled, restart Microsoft Edge for the changes to take effect.
Extended Security Options
Advanced Graphics Application Guard offers additional security measures that can be configured in Microsoft Edge’s "Security" settings:
- Block potentially malicious sites: Automatically isolate websites that Edge identifies as potential threats.
- Redirect malicious downloads to a sandbox: Divert potentially malicious downloads to a virtualized environment, preventing them from executing on the host system.
- Force websites using insecure protocols to open in AGAG: Require websites using outdated or insecure protocols to run in AGAG isolation.
Supported Graphics Cards
AGAG supports a wide range of graphics cards, including:
| Nvidia | AMD |
|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 2000 Series | Radeon RX 5000 Series |
| GeForce GTX 1600 Series | Radeon RX 6000 Series |
| Quadro RTX Series | Radeon Pro W6000 Series |
Conclusion
Enabling Advanced Graphics Application Guard in Microsoft Edge on Windows provides a significant boost to your online security and privacy. By isolating untrusted websites in a virtualized environment, AGAG effectively reduces the risk of data loss and performance degradation. Be sure to take advantage of this feature and explore the extended security options to customize your protection settings.
For more information on Microsoft Edge and its latest features, check out our other articles:
- [Installing and Configuring Microsoft Edge Extensions](link to article)
- [Optimizing Microsoft Edge for Speed and Performance](link to article)
FAQ about "Enable Advanced Graphics Application Guard (Edge Windows)"
What is Advanced Graphics Application Guard (AGAG)?
AGAG is a security feature in Microsoft Edge that isolates untrusted websites and their content from the rest of your operating system.
How do I enable AGAG?
Go to edge://settings/advanced in Edge and check the box next to "Enable Advanced Graphics Application Guard."
What are the benefits of using AGAG?
AGAG helps protect your computer from malware, phishing attacks, and other security threats.
What are the drawbacks of using AGAG?
AGAG can slightly increase the amount of time it takes for Edge to load websites. It may also prevent some websites from working properly.
What types of websites should I use AGAG with?
AGAG is most effective when used with websites that you don’t trust or that are known to be dangerous.
How do I know if AGAG is working?
When AGAG is active, you will see a green shield icon in the address bar of Edge.
What if I encounter problems with AGAG?
If you encounter any problems with AGAG, you can disable it by going to edge://settings/advanced and unchecking the box next to "Enable Advanced Graphics Application Guard."
How does AGAG differ from regular Application Guard?
AGAG is a more advanced version of Application Guard that provides additional security protections for graphics rendering.
Can I use AGAG with other browsers?
AGAG is only available in Microsoft Edge.
Is AGAG available on all versions of Windows?
AGAG is available on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
