Tips to remove Microsoft Edge on Windows 10

Microsoft Edge browser is one of the new features integrated by Microsoft on Windows 10 and is used as the default browser on Windows 10, replacing Internet Explorer browser.

If you are a fan of old browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Opera and are using Windows 10, you do not want to use the Edge browser. Then you can think of the solution as removing the Edge browser on your Windows 10.

However, unlike other applications, you cannot remove Edge browser through Settings. Edge browser is 'part' of Windows 10, so if you use the PowerShell method to uninstall default applications, you cannot uninstall the browser.

So how to remove Edge browser from Windows 10, please refer to the article below.

1. Rename the Microsoft Edge folder

If you don't want to use Microsoft's built-in browser, you can temporarily disable it on your computer. Follow the steps below to remove Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.

Step 1 . Go to C:WindowsSystemApps.

Step 2 . Locate the Microsoft Edge folder. Copy and save the name of the folder where you want because you will need to use it if you want to reactivate the browser.

Step 3 . Right click on the Edge folder and rename it. You can give it any name you want.

Step 4 . Click Continue . So Microsoft Edge has been disabled.

To reactivate the browser, rename the Microsoft Edge folder to its original name.

2. Use script to remove Edge browser on Windows 10

Step 1:

Download the Uninstall Edge ZIP file to your computer and extract it here.

Step 2:

Proceed to extract the Uninstall Edge Zip file. At this time, two files will appear on the screen: Uninstall Edge.cmd and Install_wim_tweak.

Right-click the Uninstall Edge file and select Run as administrator . Click Yes if the User Account Control window appears.

Note:

Windows SmartScreen will display notifications while you run the Script. Click More info , then click the Run anyway button to continue running the script.

Step 3:

Wait until the Script completes the process. At this time, on the screen you will receive a message: "Microsoft Edge should be uninstalled. Please reboot Windows 10" .

Your final task is to restart your Windows 10 computer.

3. New method to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows

First, open File Explorer and navigate to 'C:Program Files (x86)MicrosoftEdgeApplication' . There, look for folders with version numbers. For example, if Microsoft Edge was recently installed, you only see the version number as shown in the screenshot below.

If it was installed months ago and received several updates, you may see a few folders with version numbers. The idea is to open the folder with the highest version (or the most recent "Date modified" entry).

Open the Install folder as well . Then, click inside the File Explorer address bar to select the path to this folder, then copy it to the clipboard.

Next, open Command Prompt with admin rights. If you run CMD without administrative rights, removing Microsoft Edge will have no effect. When you see the UAC prompt, tap Yes. In the Command Prompt window , type cd , followed by a space, paste the path copied from File Explorer , and press Enter. The content to enter will look like this:

cd C:Program Files (x86)MicrosoftEdgeApplication89.0.774.68Installer

Important note:

Keep in mind that the version number of Microsoft Edge on PC may differ from the example illustration in the article. You must use the version number from your computer for this command to work.

You will then see Command Prompt using the folder you pasted before. Then, enter this command and press Enter :

setup --uninstall --force-uninstall --system-level

Microsoft Edge is silently removed from your Windows computer, its shortcuts will soon disappear and cannot be used. This method has been tested both in Windows 10 and Windows 11 and works very well.

If you want to reinstall, install Microsoft Edge Chromium for Windows 10.

4. Prevent Microsoft Edge from automatically reinstalling

Figuring out how to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 is only half the battle, if you don't prevent it from automatically reinstalling, you could see the browser return in future updates. For most people, editing the registry is the easiest way to do this, but use caution when applying this method. Making changes to the registry is always risky and should be done carefully.

Click the Search button on the desktop and find Registry Editor. Open the tool and navigate to the following location. You can copy and paste this code into the Registry Editor address bar.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoft

Right-click the Microsoft folder  and select New , then Key . Name the key EdgeUpdate and then right-click on it. Select New then select DWORD (32-bit) Value and call this DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium.

Once created, double-click to open the key and change its value to 1. Click OK and then you can safely close the Registry Editor. Microsoft Edge will now not automatically reinstall on your PC.

Some recent Windows updates have had issues with failed installation on machines that have had Microsoft Edge removed. Luckily, if you have this problem, there is an easy fix.

Navigate to the Program files (x86) folder on drive C: and find the Microsoft folder  inside. Open this folder and delete everything related to Microsoft Edge.

Now, you can try to install your Windows update again and the process will complete without problems. Combined with the above steps, Microsoft Edge will not be reinstalled with it.

Wishing you success!

Micah Soto

Update 27 July 2024