Specifying the Proxy in Internet Explorer 10 and 11 via GPO

How to implement a GPO in order to force the use of the proxy with Internet Explorer 10 and 11.

Objective

Implement a GPO in order to force Internet Explorer 10 and 11 to use the proxy. We will configure the proxy using registry keys initially.

Steps

Step 1 - Configure the proxy in Internet Explorer

First, you will need to initialise the registry keys that are to be used. You will then need to manually configure the proxy in your IE browser (the IE version is not relevant for this).

Step 2 - Prevent the user from changing the proxy

1. Under Group Policy Management, add or select an existing GPO, right click, and select Edit.

   

2. Go to Policies > Windows Setting > Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from local machine >  Windows Components > Internet Explorer.
3. Select the following: Disable the modification of proxy settings.

   Note: The GPO may begin with the word "Prevent" rather than "Disable".

   

The other options are configured via the workstation's local registry keys. You will therefore need to configure the proxy in your Internet Explorer browser in order to continue.

Step 3 -  Enable and specify the proxy

Staying in the Group Policy Management Editor, go to Preferences > Windows  Settings > Registry and add a registry item.

Select HKEY_CURRENT_USER" > Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

Add the following keys: ProxyServer, ProxyEnable and ProxyOverride. If you have configured your IE browser correctly, these keys should already be specified.

• ProxyServer : allows you to specify the proxy.
• ProxyEnable : allows you to enable the proxy (check box in browser to enable proxy).
• ProxyOveride : allows you to bypass the proxy for specified domains/IPs.

The result should be similar to the screenshot below.

Once the policy has been applied, close your browser and run the gpupdate /force command on the workstations or restart the session.

Validation

If successful, the Proxy option is greyed out, and the dialog box shows the settings populated in the administrative template.