In a previous blog post, I discussed the difficulty of supporting full Receiver for Web (RfWeb) user experience for Microsoft Edge. I also suggested a workaround for launching HDX applications/desktops by adding the RfWeb site to the Intranet or Trusted zone. From Edge 38.14393.0.0 on Windows Version 1607 (OS Build 14393.0), this workaround stops working. Edge always prompts the user to open the ICA file for every launch and there is no option to remember the user’s choice.
By working with Microsoft, they have confirmed that this is as designed from Windows Version 1607. The good news is that they have provided us with a workaround for Citrix Receiver Launcher, which will streamline the user experience and unlock a number of RfWeb features for Edge users.
In this post, I will describe how to enable RfWeb to use Citrix Receiver Launcher for Edge and how to remove the prompt this will generate on each launch of HDX applications/desktops.
Enable RfWeb to use Citrix Receiver Launcher for Edge
To enable RfWeb to use Citrix Receiver Launcher for Edge, you have to edit the web.config file.
Note: Editing web.config incorrectly can break your RfWeb site. Please back up the web.config file before editing it.
Use your preferred text editor to open web.config for the site you would like to configure (typically C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\StoreWeb\web.config). Locate the line like this:
<protocolHandler enabled="true" platforms="(Macintosh|Windows NT).*((Firefox/((5[3-9]|[6789][0-9])|\d\d\d))|(Chrome/((4[2-9]|[56789][0-9])|\d\d\d)))(?!.*Edge)"
Remove (?!.*Edge) and save the file.
Now you can test the RfWeb site with Edge. You will encounter the Detect Receiver screen. If you do not see this screen, clear your browser cookies and try again.
Select Detect Receiver and you will be prompted to confirm whether you would like to switch apps.
Select Yes and you will be presented with the login screen if you have already had the latest Receiver for Windows installed.
After log in, try to launch an application or desktop, you will be prompted to confirm switching apps again. Select Yes and the application or desktop should be launched successfully. By design, Edge will show this prompt on every launch.
Remove the browser prompt for opening Citrix Receiver Launcher
You have now tested that Citrix Receiver Launcher is used and the RfWeb site is functioning for Edge. You can remove the browser prompt by modifying the registry on the client machine.
Warning: Editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Be sure to back up the registry before you edit it.
In the registry editor,
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ProtocolExecute or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ProtocolExecute. If the key ProtocolExecute does not exist, create one.
- Create a key named receiver and navigate to it.
- Create a DWORD value named WarnOnOpen and set the value as 0.
This will suppress the browser prompt from Edge on opening Citrix Receiver Launcher for receiver detection and HDX application/desktop launches. It will not affect how Edge handles other custom protocol handlers.
Adding the registry entry to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE will affect the entire machine while adding it to HKEY_CURRENT_USER will only affect the current user.
Functionality unlocked
The features unlocked by enabling Citrix Receiver Launcher include:
- Client detection and upgrade
- Auto fallback to HTML5 client
- Domain pass-through authentication
- Desktop auto-launch
- Workspace control
This approach has been touch-tested on Windows 10 Version 1607 (OS Build 14393.0) and Edge 38.14393.0.0 for StoreFront 3.0 and StoreFront 3.9 with Citrix Receiver for Windows 4.6.0. I expect it to work for all 3.x versions of StoreFront with Citrix Receiver for Windows 4.3+. However, it has not been through rigorous testing and not been officially supported by Citrix.
